When Red Meets Blue
by her name was Irrelevant
Summary: Groudon and Kyogre are awakened, and their battle threatens to tear apart Hoenn. There's nothing 14 year old newbie Julianne can do...or is there? *PLEASE R&R I need Reviews!*
1. Chapter 1

Red light glowed on the walls of the cavern, and a cold, eerie mist rose from the damp ground

Red light glowed on the walls of the cavern, and a cold, eerie mist rose from the damp ground. Anticipation hung as thick as the moisture beading everywhere—on the two deities slumbering in pools of bubbling red and blue, and on the two people hidden in the corner.

"We meet." The voice belonged to the Magma leader, Maxie. His face was lit with the eerie light of the burbling lava, and in his hands he held a small ball cupped in his palms, bright ruby in color, and glowing.

"Again." The other voice was Archie's, and he was holding another ball—round, glowing, sapphire-colored. "Why don't you just stop…messing with the balance of water and land?" He took a step back towards the red and blue pools, and a spark glowed in the blue orb.

"It's not as if you're not doing the same thing," Maxie sneered. "Archie, give up. Your efforts are futile. Don't you understand that what Hoenn needs is land? Populations are booming. Where do you expect them to _put _these people—and Pokemon?"

Archie took a step forwards. "And they'll all…die of thirst?" he suggested. "It's come down to this. We have control over the ultimate Legendary Pokemon—and if I have to awaken Kyogre to stop you and your plans, then I will." He held up the glass orb to his eye. A cold, icy flame burned inside of the orb.

"You'll never stop us, Archie," Maxie sneered. You're wrong." He took a step forwards, stepping out of the shadows, knocking the criminal leader's arm. There was a moment of silence as the orb dropped downwards, spinning, and shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. The flame seemed to rise upwards, and there was a stir in the pool of hissing, bubbling water. A dark shape began to glow with fine red lines, and a soft groan sounded, seeming to come from everywhere….

"You can try to stop me now." Maxie raised the red orb, and a spark of red light rose upwards. There was a groan, and a stirring in the pool of magma. "You would be a fool to challenge me now."

"It's too late to do anything else," Archie said coldly, as the two legendary Pokemon rose, their bodies glowing.

**Meanwhile, in Fortree…**

As a normal fourteen-year-old, I didn't watch the weather forecasts. All my mom did lately was mutter about the dry heat and how it was killing all of our plants. If you really wanted to know, I couldn't care any less. Don't all parents complain about that stuff _every _summer?

All in all, on one of the most important days of my life, I was stretched out across my comforter, staring up at the shadows the leaves cast across my ceiling. My best friend, Laila, was lying on the hardwood floor next to me, though I sort of suspected that she was asleep. Her arms and legs were spread out in a way that made her look like an oversized, blonde-haired asterisk.

I didn't have anything planned for today. I'm sort of boring, I have to admit—a fourteen-year-old with really only one friend, no Pokemon, and the most annoying kid sister on the planet. Unfortunately, Laurel actually has more friends than I do, and she was out at one of their houses with mom. So I, the misfit adolescent daughter, was at home, not really sleeping, and not even communicating with her bored best friend.

I let my eyes close, rolling myself into a nest of a lime-green cotton comforter and white down pillows. Something inside me felt really fidgety, sort of, drowsy with a certain stir inside my chest. "Laila," I muttered, more out of instinct than with the intention of the thirteen-year-old actually answering.

Laila sat up, shaking out her thin blonde hair like a Poochyena. "Yes, Julianne?" she questioned slowly, wrapping her arms around her knees like a belt. Unlike me, her hair was brushed, and her eyes widened. Her blue backpack was tossed next to my door, and I shivered, looking at the red-and-white orbs that spilled out of its main pocket.

Laila is a Pokemon trainer who, in my opinion, could have a couple of badges under her belt if her parents would let her out to travel farther than the Pokemon Mart. Laila hates being controlled—which I guess happens a lot to her—so I think she takes advantage of her freedom. Sarcastic, bubbly, fiery, without regret—that's Laila, all right. The independent free-spirit who could set you off at times, but at the same time totally attract you. A thirteen-year-old girl with a Pokemon team of five—and, above all, my best friend.

I closed my eyes and leaned back into the comforter. I didn't realize Laila was awake, and now I had to think of something to say to her. One thing about me—I'm a very awkward conversationalist. "Do you ever…" the gears in my mind started turning sluggishly, "think about… being one of those travelling Pokemon trainers?" I said this and half wanted to shove it back up my throat. For one thing, I _know_ that Laila would go totally nuts if she had a shot at freedom like that, and I realized I might have pinned myself to one of those I-hate-my-parents complain-fests.

Laila did that weird half-snort that she does sometimes. "Like Ash Ketchum, or something?" she said, very sarcastically. Her lips twisted a little bit, and she reached for one of her Pokeballs, rolling it in the palm of her hand. "If my parents would let me, maybe." She brushed her pale bangs with the back of her hand. "What, you thinking about it, Downing?"

I winced at Laila's use of my last name. I don't really like being called anything except straight-up Julianne. Besides, I don't call _her_ Felix. "No," I replied sleepily, pulling the covers around me again and closing my eyes. "Just… you know, thinking." More of the incredible warmth of the sunlight that dappled over my face. To be honest, the idea of being a Pokemon trainer never really crossed my mind more than once…

"Whatever, Downing," Laila murmured, twisting a lock of hair around her pinky finger and leaning heavily against my bed. We were silent for a lot longer, other than the mindless tapping of Laila's sneakers against the polished wood, and my long, deep, pseduo-sleeping breathing.

Laila and I were used to these lazy summer days, spent purely on napping. She was sprawled out across the hardwood again, this time I think actually asleep, the Pokeball rolling out of her hand.

I was sinking into another day of boredom, buried with the blankets covering me like a nest. I do this sometimes—zone out, I mean—and it drives my mom nuts. Basically, I close my eyes, listen to the sound of my own breathing, and shut down without actually falling asleep. I don't notice anything.

I definitely didn't notice the signs until it was almost too late. Actually, I didn't even notice. I didn't see the flickering of red light, or hear the loud noise of a coming apocalypse until Laila reached up, tugging on a chunk of my gingerbread-colored hair. "Julianne!" she hissed. I could hear her thumping around, and when I opened my eyes, her bag was strapped over her shoulder, eyes were wide open, legs tensed to run.

I pushed myself up. "Laila," I groaned. "What do you—"

Laila cut me off. "Julianne," she said dramatically, "run!" She yanked on my arm, pulling me upwards. I glanced around me sleepily. My friend had already disappeared out the door in a flash of golden hair and a bright-pink t-shirt. I glanced after her, looking at her shadow against the flickering crimson lights.

It was then that I knew. I didn't even have to look out the window at the burning branches. Fear clutched at my stomach as I realized that I smelled smoke. I glanced behind me, looking at the branches that were covered in flaming leaves. And then I realized that I might not have another second to spare. I took a deep breath, my head spinning, and ran out after Laila.

The door was left open, and I was hit with a blast of hot air as I stepped out, my eyes screwed up from the intense heat. Ashes and soot were floating down like some sort of rain, stinging my eyes. Although I wasn't thinking, thoughts of survival still ran through my head like water through a sieve. I grabbed the ladder and started down it, jumping the last few rungs and onto the ground.

The khaki-colored grass around me was being rapidly consumed by the fire, and I found myself dodging around them. Flaming branches littered the ground, and a loud crackling roared in my ears. I felt like a marshmallow dropped into a campfire, dodging around the flames.

The buildings I knew—the PokeCenter, the Gym, looked like silhouettes. I ran, hearing the distance shouts of other people around me, fleeing. I followed the stream of Fortree citizens, all headed towards the route to Lilycove.

Sweat streamed down my face and into my eyes. I kept thinking, thoughts running through my mind but never sticking. I kept looking around me, trying to keep my eyes focused ahead of me. I'd lost Laila some time after scrambling down the ladder and onto hard, dry ground, but I wondered if she'd made it.

Pokemon scrambled out of the trees, making this odd, wailing chorus that rang in my ears along with the hungry lapping of the flames. Dark shapes of winged Pokemon flitted overhead through the smoke, and I almost tripped over a Linoone running for cover, its long, sleek body weaving around patches of flames and fleeing citizens. I wondered if _I _would make it. The running people and Pokemon reminded me of everything I might be losing, which luckily wasn't much. I didn't have any Pokemon—I thanked my lucky stars that I hadn't left anything _living _inside of the house, not a pet, not a baby sister—so I wasn't worried about anything except getting myself out of the fire.

Still, that was a daunting enough task. I watched as small fires sprang up, with little patches of weeds bursting into flames. It was hot, but somehow I suppressed a shiver. I was just glad that I hadn't seen anyone I knew. Yet...

**A/N**: Hey everyone, it's Apolo

Just wanted to say that I'd appreciate all the reviews that I could get. Review help shape the story!! Thanks for reading…I just edited this chapter a little—and read on!!


	2. Chapter 2

After a couple of minutes, it got hard to breath and the adrenaline kicked in. I stopped thinking, I stopped feeling the heat, and I stopped having to push myself, feeling the smoke was pressing against me from every side (which it was).

The smoke was seemed to make it darker than night, though ashes floated from everywhere like snowfall. Screaming, Pokemon's cries, the yelping of families as they tried to stick together, rose into the flames, forming a pulsating rhythm. My legs were numb, and I didn't notice that I was starting up a steep incline. The smoke was all dark, and I didn't even realize that the glow of the flames was behind me until I felt someone's arms around me, and a deep gasping sound. Smoke stung my eyes, but I dared to open them.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but nothing came out except for a soft rasping sound. I felt panicked, breathing in and feeling only the harsh smoke entering my lungs. I collapsed against the ground, feeling the arms release me.

"Julianne." The voice was frightened and raspy, but I recognized it all the same. _Laila._ I said this out loud, groping around with my hands stretched in front of me, reaching out and hugging her.

Laila squirmed as I let her go, leaving her rubbing her eyes with a soot-blackened hand. "I—I didn't really think you…you made it." Tears bubbled up in her bright blue eyes, leaving tear tracks across her cheeks as it smeared the ashes. "You hardly seemed awake when I opened my eyes and saw the flames."

I shook my head, trying to register that I wasn't in my bed, and I was actually sitting in the middle of the route leading to Lilycove, staring at the leaping flames that were destroying my home. "I was lucky you were there," I rasped hoarsely, pawing at the tears trickling down my cheeks. Vaguely, in the part of my mind that wasn't still in my room back at home, I registering how lucky I really was. The truth hit me like a rock: _not everyone could possibly be saved. Not everyone, not every Pokemon, not…_ I watched smoke rise from the flames, blazing still higher into a smoke-blackened sky, and shivered, imagining myself still trapped there. I sat back, the short, dry blades of grass prickling my hands.

"I saw your mom," Laila continued, brushing back her scraggly blonde hair. "She was with Laurel. She said they were shopping in Lilycove when they saw the flames from one of the windows. She was the one who sent me looking for you." Laila cocked her head, and I guess she saw the horrified expression in my eyes. "Julianne….what's wrong?"

I bit back a bitter response. I love Laila, but she has a definite problem when it comes to stating the obvious. "I don't know," I snapped, coughing so hard as to irritate my smoke-sore throat. "I just lost my home and everything in it. Oh, I don't know, just give me a minute. I'll be fine."

Laila drew back, her eyebrows ascending to her hairline. I noticed that she grabbed for a Pokeball, rolling it in her fingers. "Sorry, Julianne," she murmured, putting her index finger on the tiny white button in the center of the capsule. "I…I just don't know what to say, what to think." She enlarged the capsule with a flick of her finger against the white button, tossing it into the air. In a flash of red light, slicing through the smoke like a red laser, a Chimecho appeared, spinning around Laila's head. I glanced up. The Pokemon was Chime, one of Laila's five Pokemon: Chime, a Bellossom, a Chikorita named Spore, and her newest addition to the team, a Swablu. Laila started her career as a Pokemon Trainer a few years before I befriended her, but I did know that Chime was her first and favorite Pokemon. The red-and-white Pokemon hovered next to Laila's shoulder, chiming soothingly. I closed my eyes, trying to tune into the chimes, though I could still here the din of anguished people and Pokemon, and the roaring of the flames. And….

I settled back into the grass, the dry, short blades pricking my neck. The thick smoke made it hard to see further than a few yards, and the shapes of people and Pokemon looked like hazy black silhouettes against a gunmetal-and-crimson background. Above, circling the fire, were the ever-so-faint forms of Pellipers and other water Pokemon, desperately combating the blaze. The smell and feel of the smoke was stifling, and it felt hard to breathe.

"Julianne! Sweetheart! We've been so worried!" A sticky voice sounded from behind us. Laila whipped around so quickly that her damp blonde hair stuck to my cheek. I groaned softly. My mom came up behind me, grabbing me from behind and hugging me.

Don't get me wrong—I do love my mom and my little sister, Laurel. It's just that they drive me crazy most of the time. Besides, my face was pressed against my mom's shirt, and I couldn't breathe. I wriggled out of her iron grasp, looking at Laurel, who was staring solemnly up at me. "Yeah. I got out. Good to see you." Even I realized how ungrateful I sounded. I looked down at Laurel, waved at her, and looked back up at mom. "Soo…."

In a way, I feel bad for my mom. Our dad was her boyfriend who didn't live with us, and broke up with her some time after Laurel was born. I wish I could say that he was abusive or had some other reason for being a bad father, but I liked him better than Mom. Still, raising a fourteen-year-old and a three-year-old probably isn't easy, especially when it's a three-year-old like Laurel.

"Julianne, dear. We need to speak." She made polite eye contact with Laila, who scooted aside and into a group of Fortree citizens and their Pokemon, Chime following after her. In typical Laila fashion, she left her bag and Pokeballs lying on the dry-grass slope. I rolled the Pokeballs towards me and sat down. Mom sat down next to me. Following this was a silence so awkward that I _swear_ even the flames stopped crackling.

I stared into the flames leaping in the distance. I knew what this meant: a new home, a new life, possibly away from Laila. I didn't lose anything _living_, but I realized then and there what was lost in the fire: a dependable, predictable life, full of boredom, yes, but also dependability. I wondered what would happen from here on in.

"I suppose it's obvious to you, Julie, that things won't be the same anymore."

I winced. I don't like being called _Downing_, but Julie borders on being worse. "I know, Mom," I said. Somehow, I was too lost and dizzy—and the whole thing felt too unreal—to cry. "I don't mind. As long as we don't live in Sootopolis, because that place seems like a dump, surrounded by water everywhere within a thirty-mile radius."

Okay, this may have sounded a little insensitive, proved by the fact that my mom started to cry. I inched away, feeling a little bit alarmed. "Mom…"

Mom looked me in the eyes and lifted up my chin. "Julianne, I understand that this would be a hard transition for you."

I blinked at her. "I'd rather run away than move to Sootopolis," I announced firmly, squaring jaw. I know I sounded stupid. I _know_ I should be worried about the safety of our city, and our family, and our financial situation, or whatever. I just felt…well, I felt numb. I didn't even realize that my mom was gearing me up to hear something. Something _huge._

"Julianne, the thing is, I've always wondered…whether I was doing what was right for you," my mom sniffled. The whole thing seemed like a scene from a poorly-done soap opera, with the orange light of the flames and the dark smoke, and my face all dirty and hair covered in ashes. "And I think it's time for me to let you grow up a little."

I could only blink. I think my mom is a little bit over-the-top and annoying sometimes, but she's not like the Felixes, who are Laila's parents. If I wanted to, I'm sure I could go out to Littleroot to claim a starter Pokemon. Being restricted by my parents isn't really one of my life issues.

"Honey," my mom began, and I braced myself. I was afraid of what she was going to say. _Maybe we're moving to Sinnoh,_ I thought, my mind racing as out of control as the flames that devoured my one and only home. _I'm Ash Ketchum's sister. I…_

"Julianne, sweetheart." Mom smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. Glowering at the attention I was getting, Laurel wriggled up next to me. I tried to scoot away from her, my purple t-shirt sticking to my body. "Now would be a good time to grow up. There are a lot of legal affairs involved with this fire, and I was wondering if maybe this is a good chance for you to learn how to take care of yourself.

I was a little bit offended. I mean, I know how to cook and clean my room. I'm not a baby. Cocking my head in confusion, I felt a jolt of terror. I realized what my mom's rambling preamble meant.

"Y-you think that I should learn how to be a Pokemon trainer." The words sort of tumbled out of me before I could stop them. The air was warm, sticky, still, and sweltering hot, but I felt like I was breaking out in a cold sweat. I don't have anything against Pokemon, or Pokemon trainers, or even the elite Four and Gym Leaders, but I don't feel like I could pull it off. Me, Julianne Downing. I'm no Pokemon expert.

Laurel opened her mouth like she was about to say something, her sweat-sticky brown ponytail bobbing, but mom beat her to the punch. "Julianne, this would be a good chance, sweetheart," she said, seeming to lean too much on the sticky-sweet voice she uses on Laurel. "At the Lilycove Department store, Laurel and I found you a Pokemon." She drew a red-and-white capsule from her leather purse, stuffing it into my hands.

I looked down at it, feeling my hands clamp around the tiny object. "I…" My head was still spinning. I had ran for my life, and now I was being given a Pokemon I wasn't sure that I wanted. "Thanks, mom." I wanted to hand it back, wanted to scream _What do you _want _from me? I don't _want_ to be a Pokemon trainer? Who are we kidding?_ But something made me hold the Pokeball in my hands. "Thanks."

Laurel looked up at me with bright green eyes. "Don't you want to see what it is?" she piped up.

"Thanks, Laurel," I muttered, feeling a little bit idiotic as I threw the tiny capsule up into the air. Red light sliced the smoky air, and a small Pokemon appeared. I looked down, squatting, and found myself looking at a small object that appeared like a little glowing ball of flame…

A _Castform._ I shivered, hesitating as I picked up the Pokeball, returning the small Pokemon. I almost wanted to laugh. 386 Pokemon, and I get a _Castform_. "Thanks, Laurel," I grinned, pocketing the Pokeball.

"I knew you'd like it," Mom beamed at me. "Why don't you go look for Laila? I'm sure she has tips on how to be a better Pokemon trainer."

When she said this, I'd already started to wander off in search of my blonde-haired best friend, but I wasn't looking for tips on Pokemon mastery. More of, I wanted to ask her if she'd found her parents, if everything was alright, and tell her that I was banished out of my house to become a Pokemon trainer. With a _Castform_.

Searching through the crowds of people, finding Laila proved to be pretty difficult. Laila's sort of small, and easily blends into a crowd. I guess I don't, though, because I felt a hand tap my shoulder, and I turned around to see the girl I was looking for.

"Laila!" I gasped. "Guess what?"

Laila tipped her head, grimy blonde hair spilling to one side. Her face was smudged, and she looked exactly like she'd just escaped with her life from a natural disaster. I've never been particularly obsessed with my image, but I wiped my face with the back of my hand and felt a little disgusted at all the soot and sweat that rubbed off. I held up my Pokeball, displaying it in the palm of my hand. "My mom was out at the Lilycove department center today. And she bought me a Pokemon."

I expected Laila to laugh, or maybe to be sympathetic, but she grinned. "Oh my god—Julianne!" she squeaked. "You won't believe it!! My mom thinks that maybe, while we get everything straightened out, I be a traveling trainer…"

I wondered what to say to this. It was pretty out of character for Laila's parents to let her out on her own (she's hardly even allowed to buy supplies from the PokeMart without parental supervision, and she's _thirteen)_.

Then again, it isn't every day that your house burns down, with pretty much everything in it. "Wow, Laila," I said, feeling emotionally and physically drained from everything that had happened all day. "Well, let's keep in touch. I mean"—

Laila cut me off. Her lips were pressed together like she was about to burst out with excitement, and her entire face was glowing. "But…aren't you going to travel, too?" she demanded, bouncing on the balls of her feet like a three-year-old.

"Probably it's just one of my mom's stupid ideas," I sighed. "Me? A _Pokemon trainer?_ Has the fire cooked everyone's brain?"

Laila put her hand on my shoulder again, this time totally jumping up and down. "I think we should travel _together_!" she said, sounding like a toddler about to get a huge scoop of ice cream. "We could look out for each other, and I could teach you the basics of Pokemon training…"

I felt bombarded. Too much was happening at the same time, and the roar of the flames still echoed in the background. "Am I allowed to answer?" I asked, feeling a little bit locked into the whole idea.

I heard a voice behind me that I recognized as my mom's. "I think you should say yes."

**A/N:** Hey everyone...Apolo here. I realize that the chapter is a little rushed, but I'm leading up to something ;-) Thanks to everyone that's been reading...Especially Jocelyn, my Beta.


	3. Chapter 3

My jaw practically dropped, and I held the Pokeball so tightly in my hand that it felt slimy with sweat from my palms

My jaw practically dropped, and I held the Pokeball so tightly in my hand that it felt slimy with sweat from my palms. "Are you _kidding_?" I demanded, looking around. This was, of course, the perfect time for Laila's parents to come around, looking for their daughter. Laila's dad, Mr. Felix, put his hand on his daughter's shoulder, but both of them—everyone, in fact—had their eyes focused on me.

"_You cannot be serious_!" I exploded. The fire behind me glowed on Laila's face. As good of a friend as Laila is, I don't think she'd ever seen me that mad. There was a ball of fire in my stomach bigger than the illuminating the smoky scene. "I'm _not_ going to! I don't _want_ the stupid Castform!" I held it up, half-expecting Laila to take it away from me and stomp off, but she didn't. Her blue eyes were frozen wide, her eyebrows half between raised with surprise and lowered with anger. While everyone was still frozen with shock, I could feel the enormous strain of the day crashing in on me. I ran, mindlessly pocketing the Pokeball and running for the hills. I assume it was only a few hours after noon, but I curled up then and fell asleep.

**The next morning….**

When I woke up, the smoke was a little bit thinner, but mixed in with a freakish mid-summer mist. The air was thicker and harder to breathe, but low clouds skimmed the hills, and it almost seemed as if it were going to rain.

At any other time, I would have rolled around and tried to find a blanket, not even thinking about the weird twist in weather. Today, though, the damp chill in the air didn't even register in my brain as I propped myself up, wrapping my arms around my knees and thinking. Castform's Pokeball rolled from my pocket, and I picked it up, holding it between my knees as I pondered everything that had happened yesterday.

Honestly, I didn't mean to blow up at my mom and Laila, especially in front of Laila's parents. For once, I didn't know what to do. I'd never lost my cool with anyone—let alone Laila—like that. I stood up, wandering through the sleeping people. Ash was smudged on everyone's face, and there were several people staring at the flames, lower and dimmer but still there. Nobody acknowledged me as I wandered through them, feeling like a ghost in the mist.

Laurel and my parents were awake, huddled with their backs to the fire, near the hilltop. Subconsciously I wandered towards them, not having enough emotional energy left to feel indignant that they hadn't come to look for me after I ran off.

As I neared the top of the hill, my legs almost buckled, and I hobbled up towards my family. Mom smiled, wrapping her arm around my waist, but everyone else was poker-faced. Even Laurel wasn't smiling, though her face was more sleepy than serious. Dad was staring daggers, and I noticed with a jolt that Laila was there, too, and her parents. I swallowed, pretending to be fascinated by the blades of grass in front of me. Laurel's sneakers twitched, and Dad cleared his throat.

"We need to talk, Julianne Downing," he said. His voice was firm, but it didn't sound like I was in for a tongue-lashing. I dared myself to look up. I shivered slightly—we looked like a hungry, grimy group of forest-fire survivors. Laila was staring at the fire, looking like she hadn't slept all night. _But…could I be a Pokemon trainer? _I wondered, feeling the shape of the Pokeball pressed into my palm.

"I don't want to do it." The words somehow slipped out around the lump forming in my throat. Laila glanced up at me, careful to avoid eye contact, and quickly looked back down again. Laurel coughed into Dad's stained blue T-shirt. "I don't feel ready for this."

Mom lifted my chin so she could look me in the eye. "Julianne, I'm not sure you have a choice." Her voice didn't wobble in the slightest. "Financially, all of Fortree City is in over their heads. Not to mention, we don't have shelter and there might not be enough to eat. Mrs. Felix told me that there are relief efforts, but you'd have it easier on your own."

"Especially with Laila to help you along," Laila's dad added. Dad nodded at me as if he was trying to make up my mind for me, but Laila's cheeks turned ruby-red as she pulled at tufts of dry grass.

I tried to force back the fireball of anger that was building in my throat. "But…wouldn't it be worse if I went off on my own?" I asked, shifting into a more comfortable position in the grass. "I mean, I don't have any experience…"

"Laila does," Laurel piped in. Laila looked away, brushing her hair off of her shoulders and fidgeting with embarrassment.

Mom lifted my chin again. "The Pokemon League is getting together an effort to help people like you and Laila, sweetheart, to make it out as a Pokemon Trainer after the fire. Since last night—aren't they fast?--there's a little bit of money, supplies, and a new set of clothes waiting for a Fortree kid wanting to get out to train Pokemon." She looked me in the eye, and I felt somewhat hypnotized and unable to look away. "What do you say?"

_It all feels like a dream, that's what I say, _I pondered darkly, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I glanced at Laila, who lifted her head slightly and was blinking at curiously. Laila glanced around, clearing her throat. "I'd like to travel with Julianne," she suggested.

Dad was staring daggers at me, and I blinked. "If I really have to, I guess," I muttered. "If there's really some kind of relief effort to help us along…" I couldn't believe what I was saying, but the words were tumbling out, and it was too late to push them back in.

Laila pushed herself up to her feet, seeming to have a little glow of her own. "Really?" she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet like an excited toddler. "We'll have a lot of fun together!" She reached for her bag full of Pokemon supplies, holding up one red-and-white Pokeball and turning to my mom. "When can she collect her starter supplies? Now?"

I barely stopped myself from groaning. This felt like a little too much. I stood up, remembering to grab Castform's Pokeball, and looked down at it. Was I _really_ going to become a Pokemon trainer? Was I about to start travels with Laila? It all felt like it was too soon…

**A/N:** Short chapter . The next chapter is going to start Julianne and Laila's actual Pokemon-Trainer-ing, probably starting with a Pokemon battle. Thanks for reading/reviewing!!

Apolo


	4. Chapter 4

"We should probably head out towards Lilycove." Laila was babbling enthusiastically, her face cleaned and wearing her new aqua-blue t-shirt and a pair of black denim jeans. "We should stock up on supplies, Potions, Antidotes, that kind of stuff. You know what I mean?" She stopped talking, gasping breaths of the misty, drizzly air breathlessly, and tipped her head to see if I was retaining anything she was saying. "Oh! And I need to teach you the basics of Pokemon." She leaped up a good two feet in the air, motioning for me to join her in the thick, dewy grass that lay in patches on either side of the path.

When we left Fortree, the fire was under control, the weather was damp and gloomy—unusual for midsummer, but very welcomed after five months of dry, hot, and relentless heat--there was new clothes for the both of us, and me with my 'starter pack' of supplies to be a Pokemon Trainer—a blue back-pack with a Potion, Antidote, and two-thousand dollars in coins. Mom had gotten all teary-eyed, saying how 'fast I had grown up', and we had said our hasty goodbyes. Mom promised that she would contact me as soon as she could, but I guessed that this was all Mom-propaganda. Castform's Pokeball in hand, we were making it out.

I had to admit, there was a little bit of carbonation in my stomach as we headed on the route towards Lilycove, Laila chattering at a hundred miles-per-hour. There were a lot of shortcomings—we didn't even get a Pokedex, for crying out loud—but there was a certain sense of adventure, even if we only were biding our time while our parents sorted out legal affairs and found a place to stay.

"We're in tall grass," Laila chirped, parting the long grass that reached up to my waist.

"I couldn't tell," I muttered, shivering as drops of rainwater slid from the long, parched stalks and onto my legs. "So what's your point?"

Laila held up her brown bag full of Pokeballs and Pokemon supplies. "Hold Castform's Pokeball," she instructed, brushing her newly-washed hair behind her ear. "Pokemon can jump out at us at any time."

I glanced around, half-expecting some gigantic Pokemon to leap out of the bushes and threaten to tear us to shreds. Consciously I glanced around, holding my Pokeball close to my chest. "What's going to be out there?" I asked, trying not to sound afraid.

Laila shrugged, holding a Pokeball cupped in both hands. "Oddish, maybe. This is where I caught most of my Pokemon." She tipped her head. "Well, keep your eyes peeled—oh!"

I jumped back. A green Pokemon hovered a few feet above the ground, making joyful noises as it hopped through the rain. "Skiploom!" Laila said, taking a step back. "I've never seen one around here before."

I was aware that I was shaking. I didn't like the idea of a wild Pokemon so close to me. "L-laila!" I said, feeling panicky. It sounds stupid—I know—but I was freaked out at the prospect of a wild Pokemon. "What are you going to _do_?"

Laila turned to me, her voice trembling with laughter. "Call out Castform, stupid!" she giggled. The rain began to thicken, and the high winds whipped the rain into my face. Skiploom bounced playfully in the air, but it seemed menacing.

"Right." I had almost forgotten about my Pokemon. "Um…go!" I threw the Pokeball into the air, feeling extremely stupid. Still, I felt a little bit pleased as a beam of red light burst from the red-and-white capsule, and Castform appeared. It seemed to be wrapped in tendrils of mist, and its body looked like a water droplet.

"Water form," Laila murmured. I could have sworn that she was shaking laughter. "Don't worry, Julianne." She smiled. "Well, what are you going to do now?"

Panic surged in my throat. "I don't _know_!" I gasped, looking at my water-droplet Pokemon. "I'm…what does it know how to do?"

"Too late," Laila said, almost too softly for me to hear her. I looked up and the Skiploom was charging at Castform, knocking it out of the air and onto the ground. I screamed, running towards Castform, but Laila barred me with one arm.

"It's fine," she said. "Now, listen. Skiploom is a grass-type Pokemon."

Castform rose back into the air, but I was still panicking. "So?"

Laila smiled. "Fire-type attacks are super-effective against Grass-type Pokemon. Try using Ember!" I glanced at her, but her electric-blue eyes were sparkling smugly. "Go on…"

I shuddered, feeling incredibly stupid. "Um…" I said softly, pointing at the Skiploom and feeling like a parody of the trainers I see on TV. "Use…_ember_!"

Somehow, it was extremely pleasing to see the thin jet of crimson flames shoot from Castform's mouth. Steam sizzled in the rain, but the move was a direct hit. Skiploom tumbled backwards, still making it high-pitched cries.

I turned wildly to Laila, my heart banging in my chest as I inhaled in breaths of mist and smoke. Laila looked pretty calm, but her eyes were sparkling like crazy with the wild excitement of the battle. "Well, watch for Skiploom's next move," she instructed calmly.

I whipped around so quickly that my hair hit my neck, whipping water into my eyes. "That's _it_?" I asked. "There's nothing else I can do?" I searched through the thick haze for Skiploom. Its back was turned to Castform, who was looking at the Pokemon with a bemused look.

Laila jumped back, seeming to smother a screech. I yelped and almost knocked into Laila as I, too, leaped back. There was a dark figure rising out of the mist, about the size of me or Laila, reaching for Skiploom and holding the slightly injured Pokemon in their arms.

I wanted to scream out, _who are you?_ But fear swallowed up my voice whole. I shivered, leaned heavily against Laila, and Castform hovered a little closer to me. For all the times in the last twenty-four hours that I'd wished that the Pokemon wasn't mine, its protective gesture sent a shiver through my spine.

Laila was shaking so hard I could feel the vibrations. Meanwhile, the I was watching the person that had snatched Skiploom out of the air. They got clearer and clearer as they got closer, and I saw that the person coming towards us was a girl maybe a year or so older than me; her smoky, dark-brown braid was messy and tossed over one shoulder, and she had rain-soaked boots. She glanced at us, and I could have sworn that shadow of a smirk crossed her face, laced with irritation.

"What were you—_doing_ to my Skiploom?" she inquired, her head cocked and brown-green eyes glinting coldly. She stroked the Pokemon gently. Castform hovered a little closer to my drenched shoulder, though it no longer seemed to register the girl as a threat.

Laila kept stammering the beginnings of words, but I cleared my throat and tried to speak up. Still, I couldn't find the courage to look the girl in the face. "I'm…a new Pokemon trainer," I explained, feeling warmth surge up to my face as I looked guiltily down at Castform's empty Pokeball in my hand. "We—I—thought your Skiploom was a wild one."

"Oops," Laila added softly. "Ummm…"

The girl rolled her eyes, raising her arms to hold the Skiploom to her chest. "It's fine," she said. Her voice was cool and melodic, not at all like Laila's high-pitched chirp. She had the air of someone a lot older than both of us, though she looked maybe fourteen or fifteen. "I guess I was just surprised." She nodded politely at Laila, who was slowly backing away from her, and added, "So who are you two?"

I raised my shoulders. "Laila….and Juilanne," I said, distinguishing the two of us by pointing my thumb. "We're—Laila, anyways—trainers from Fortree City." I gulped. What was I doing? Would she use this against me? Had the fire cooked my brain?"

The girls eyes softened a little, and she released the Skiploom, who launched itself into the air and exchanged curious glances with Castform. "I'm Aria," she explained. "My twin brother, Riley, and I, were on our way back from Lilycove City. We were stocking up on supplies." She extended an ivory hand. "Nice to meet you."

I stared dumbly at her outstretched hand, completely stupid-looking and unaware that she expected me to shake it.

Laila's voice was still guarded, and I noticed that she played with a lock of her damp, light-brown hair—a nervous habit that she claims she picked up from me. "Are you a trainer too, then?" she asked. I watched as her free hand moved towards her bag of Pokemon supplies. Castform, understanding Laila's subtle hint, seemed to inch even closer to me, almost brushing my shoulder now.

"We are," Aria agreed. "Riley and I have been traveling together for a few years now." Her eyes had lost the cold gleam, and she seemed a little less haughty and mature. "Do you two have a place to stay tonight?"

Laila seemed to be giving her a total stranger-danger look, but I shook my head in surprise. We had the basic stuff for survival—a loaf of bread, some money, Pokemon for protection, and a blanket apiece—but I didn't realize that we were missing a warm place to stay. The rain and wind howled and lashed our faces, a painful reminder that there was no longer a place to go back to. We were trapped on a one-way path of destiny, and the prospect scared me.

"Umm…no," I admitted softly. "We fled from the fires, actually. I…" Laila gave me a why-are-you-telling-her-this look, and I trailed off midsentence, aware of my face getting even redder.

Aria retrieved a Great Ball from her pocket, retreating Skiploom in a glow of red light. "Come back with me and Riley," she offered. "We have some food—not much, just a little from a cheap Lilycove Bakery." Seeing Laila's still guarded, distrustful face, she added, "And we're desperate for company. I love Riley, but he's my twin brother, after all." She scrunched up her nose. "Fifteen-year-old-boys."

Castform still hovered at my shoulder as we followed Aria through the sopping-wet grass, leading southeast from Fortree and off the main path. Laila tapped me on the shoulder, whispering into my ear. "D'you think we can trust her?"

I subconsciously slowed my pace until there was a yard or so between Aria and the two of us. At the distance, and with the blizzardlike rain, she looked like a distant silhouette. "We'll see," I breathed back. I could hardly even hear my own voice over the slopping of our soggy sneakers through the mud and the constant drumming of the rain. "I think she's nice, though."

Laila blinked at me suspiciously. "Why do you think she's inviting us back for dinner?" she said, her voice a little louder than I would have liked. "D'you think its safe to eat anything?"

I was searching for the least awkward answer when Aria swept us into a tree-sheltered cove well of the main path connecting Lilycove to—well, what _was_ Fortree, anyways. "This is where me and Riley are," she said. She searched our faces for any emotion, and added, "Well, it's not much. But what do you say—dinner?"

I immediately liked it. It felt safe, surrounded by tall trees on three sides, with a small red camping tent in the center of the tiny clearing. A log lay near to our feet, where a red-haired, freckled boy who looked only vaguely like Aria was sitting, gazing suspiciously at Laila. I noticed with amusement that she locked eyes with the boy, hazel meeting blue, and they nodded at each other, seeming to try and stare each other down.

"Oh!" Aria added, stepping (I think intentionally) between Laila and who I presumed to be her brother. "This is Riley, my twin." She nodded at Riley, who raised a hand unexcitedly, shaking wet auburn hair out of his face.

"Ari, what are you _doing_? Who are these…people?" He craned his neck to glare at Laila one more time. Laila put a hand on her hip childishly, waving at him and turning her eyes skyward.

I felt flustered at the boy's hostility. "I'm Julianne Downing, and this is my best friend"—

"Laila Felix," Laila snorted. "I can introduce myself, you know." She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more.

Aria cleared her throat, cutting of Laila. "We met in the tall grass," she said, tactfully avoiding the part where I attacked her Pokemon. "I invited them over here to eat dinner. They're one of the refugees from Fortree, and they don't have shelter or much money or food."

"We have enough," Laila clarified darkly, following Aria into the small red tent.

Dinner was good—small, but good, and it reminded me the fact that I hadn't eaten in almost a day. There was a cold potato roll for everyone, and a good helping of awkward conversation that seemed to become a little more natural as the little dinner went on. Riley even warmed up enough to tell us the story of him and his sister.

"Aria and I left home to be trainers when we were twelve," he explained, tearing his potato roll into little chunks and devouring them one by one as he spoke. I was glad I was sitting right next to him and I could only see his damp red hair and his body, sheathed in a red afghan; he seemed like the type that would talk with their mouth full and wide open. "Aria started with a Hoppip—Wildflower. I have a Zangoose."

It seemed a fitting choice for a slightly combative-seeming person like him, but I managed to keep that comment to myself.

"We have a couple more Pokemon now—I mean, we've been traveling for three years. Aria has a Lunatone and a Bayleef, and I have a Poliwhirl."

"Julianne just started today," Laila felt the need to butt in an explain. "I have a Belossom, Spore—that's my Chikorita—Swablu, and Oddish." She looked triumphant at having more Pokemon than Riley. "Julianne has a Castform."

I looked down at the Pokeball, wobbling slightly. I felt bad for not feeding Castform, but there was nothing for the Pokemon to eat.

Riley gave Laila a slightly peeved glance. "We wanted to start the gym circuit," he explained. "We were going to head back to Petalburg first to tell our parents that our newest dream is to be the best Pokemon trainer ever!"

Aria's hazel eyes rolled. "Or, in less cliché terms, we want to polish up our skills on Pokemon training." She nudged her brother, and whispered to me, "He's so _embarrassing._"

Of course, I knew the feeling from Laurel, but my mouth was full of potato roll and I was content to just nod sympathetically. Laila, who had overheard Aria's remark, snickered around a mouthful of bread.

"We've been looking for someone to travel with," Aria added wistfully. "We've always wanted to find a traveling companion."

"I guess that would be nice," Laila shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. "We're not trying to challenge the Pokemon League, though. Julianne and I are trainers because there's no room for us back in our own homes—the fire left lots of complications."

Laila's choice of wording stung. _No room for us…is that really what it is?_ I wondered moodily.

Aria blinked, seeming to talk a little to fast. Her voice sounded almost a little bit like Laila's all of a sudden—bubbly, high pitched, and bursting with vivacious warmth. "Do you know what I think?" She asked, not noticing (or at least ignoring) her brother's gasp of horror. "I think we should travel together!"

**A/N:** Hey everyone!! I wanted to say, anyone who's read up to this point is...well, amazing. I know that my writing can drag a little, but the best is yet to come :-)

To try and prevent Mary-Sues and also out of pure interest, I posted a When Red Meets Blue-themed poll on my (very blank, very boring) profile. This is the chapter where all four main characters are introduced, but Aria and Riley aren't very developed yet...if you could vote anyhow, that would be amazing for the plot. Julianne, Laila, Riley, Aria, and I thank you ;-)

Apolo


	5. Chapter 5

I noticed that Laila and Riley exchanged glances, and Laila folded her arms childishly over her chest. Riley looked away, cramming the last bit of potato roll into his mouth. Aria's eyes were focused downwards, and her face was slightly red, as if she were embarrassed at her impulsive request.

"I…if you don't want to…I understand," Aria clarified softly, fidgeting with the hem of her long khaki skirt. "But Riley and I could help you two along in your journey. We have plenty of experience as Pokemon trainers."

Riley glanced at Laila gloatingly, and she raised her chin. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Seems to me like it'd be safer to travel together, in a group," I pointed out thoughtfully. "But…well, we don't have much. We don't even have a tent or anything…" I felt like a Caterpie under a microscope, squirming as everyone watched me.

Aria put her hand on my shoulder, a kind gesture. "It's fine, Julianne," she said.

Laila seemed like she was about to explode before she burst out, "Can I trust you?"

"No," Riley shot back, his voice a little bit acid and sarcastic. "You can't. That's why we're offering for you to travel with us. _We're_ taking _you_ under our wing. We want to kill you in your sleep."

Laila stuck her tongue out at him, and Riley snickered.

Sighing, Aria added, "We have nothing better to do, Ry. The fact is…" Aria's face reddened a little bit more as she added, "I think you two would be great to travel with."

Laila jabbed her thumb at Riley. "_He_ doesn't think so."

Riley rolled his eyes at her, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Well, I don't think I would mind," he snorted. "_That_ much, anyways."

_"_The tent's big enough for all of us," Aria added, stretching out sideways. To me, it looked like it might have been a tent to sleep two or three, but none of the four of us took up too much room. "You guys could sleep with us."

"Not with me," Riley added, though he looked vaguely amused.

Laila tipped her head and looked me in the eyes. "Think we should do it?" She asked. Her eyes were a little guarded, but there was a slight smile on her face.

I met her words with a big grin. "Yeah," I said. "I think we should."

Forward a few ours, and we were sprawled out in the tiny tent, wrapped in thin blankets, with the rain pounding on our tent and sloshing mud onto the thick canvas fabric. The rain was almost loud enough to drown out the sound of their breathing—Laila's gentle, sleepy breaths, Aria's soft breaths, and Riley's snoring. I rolled around, cold and uncomfortable, but also nervous.

I felt like I had too much responsibility. Laila trusted me to make descisions, enough for her to let me make the descision to join up with Riley and Aria. _Am I doing the right thing_? I wondered. _I don't know._

Drowsily, I closed my eyes, and blacked out.

I woke up to the jostling of my new traveling companions as they scrambled for places sit and eat breakfast. I hadn't even realized I'd fallen alsleep, and I was still groggy. The rain was still pouring, and the tent still dark. Riley nodded at me as I sat up, pushing strands of brown-red hair out of my eyes.

"She's awake," he said. "Finally."

I yawned, inching closer to Laila and Aria. "Sorry," I breathed back. "I'm exhausted." Laila handed me a sticky cinnamon roll, which I took a huge bite out of. Yesterday's dinner seemed like a distant memory.

"I was thinking that we should look around for Pokemon," Laila said through gulps of her cinnamon pastry. "I wanted to check out Lilycove City, though."

"That's where we just were, you idiot," Riley challenged. "I hate shopping. Browsing through those Pokedolls is wore than an insult."

"All the better," Laila giggled, licking sticky white icing off of her fingers. "I'm all for it." She glanced at me, pursing her lips to prevent herself from smiling, for support. "I'm sure Julianne is, too. We don't have very much, just some Pokeballs, basic supplies—Potions, Antidotes—and a Blanket."

Aria tipped her head. "Well, it wouldn't _hurt_, Riley," she began convincingly.

"It would if I jammed him into the display shelf of Wigglytuff Pokedolls," Laila interjected, giggling at her own joke (needless to say, nobody else did). "Besides, we need food, don't we?" She turned her head to look at the wall of the tent, which was sloshing rain on all sides. "And a night at an inn wouldn't hurt."

Riley groaned. "Whatever," he muttered.

The walk to Lilycove was full of mud and rain and Riley and Laila's constant bickering. Riley was poker-faced and seemed grumpy as we finally stepped off of the squelching mud and onto the white stone paths of the metropolitan Lilycove City, but Laila seemed wide-eyed and bright. I smiled wonderingly at her as she bounced a Pokeblal in her hand, humming softly as we wove through the empty, wet streets towards the looming Department Store building.

Aria stopped at the front of the Lilycove Department Store, leaning against the double glass doors. "Riley and I are going to stock up on food," she announced. "We need food, you know. We don't have enough money to pay rent on an apartment or keep staying at inns or motels, so I think we'll need to spend most of our time on the road."

"Anything to stay away from Laila," Riley said darkly, his lips twitching a little. Laila folded her arms and stuck up her nose, though she looked amused.

Laila put her hand on the glass door of the department store. "I'll look for supplies for us and our Pokemon," she volunteered. A glint appeared in her half-moon-shaped blue eyes, and she added, "And a Clefairy Pokedoll for Riley."

"Can it, Laila," he grumbled, pushing sopping red hair out of his eyes.

Laila giggled. "Want to come with me, Julianne?" she offered. "I can show you the best kind of medicines for Pokemon."

I sighed. Laila's mood was bubbly and irresistible, but I felt as gloomy as the weather. "I think I'll just take a walk," I said, surprising myself at how gloomy I sounded. "I want to see the ocean, maybe." The ocean was an excuse—I just needed time where nothing was happening to me.

Laila exchanged glances with Aria, who shrugged. Riley had already turned

around and was headed off down the street. "Don't turn down a battle, if you get challenged to one!" Laila called cheerily.

"Meet at the department store when you're all done!" Aria shouted over her shoulder, turning and sprinting to catch up to Riley.

I didn't answer, but looked up at the tall buildings, shrouded with rain and mist, as I wandered down the streets. I didn't realize where I was headed—I mostly followed the streets, crossing only when I had to, and occasionally stalked the lone pedestrian, running to avoid the rain. Only when I noticed that there was soggy sand around my white (well, not so white anymore) sneakers did I realize that I really _was _at the ocean. Part of me was amazed—the endless waves always proved calming and hypnotic to me; another part of me was relieved that I hadn't lied to Laila.

I pulled on the rough black straps of my backpack. I half wanted to call out Castform, the bigger, more cowardly half me just wanted to be alone. It was quiet, and I was bored. For the first time in a couple of days, I felt like nothing had changed. I wasn't worried about the freak weather patterns, I was alone, and I didn't feel like a Pokemon trainer.

The rain obscured my vision, but I realized that I was wading into the shallow water. From my knees down were completely drenched in saltwater surf, but there was a certain curiosity inside of me. Mom had never let me wade out into the water, for fear that I would drown.

I followed a path of shallower, lighter-colored water, sticking close to the shoreline. The water-path led me out towards the vast northern ocean, and I was standing among cold, grey rocks. A larger brown rock—too steep to be climbed, but with a certain likeness to an island—loomed in front of me, which I stepped forwards to examine. The walls of the rock were smooth, wet, and cold, something that not even Laurel, daredevil that she is, would dare climb.

I shivered. The rock seemed a little _too_ smooth to be something of nature. I felt around, groping around the rock on all four sides. The rock was smooth…until I felt the tiny, round jag of rock on the far-northern side. It was tiny—I barely registered it on my palm—but against the smooth rock, it felt like a mountain. I was barely even thinking when I twisted the tiny knob—more like smoothed my hand around it—but I was shocked when the stone moved, revealing an inky black tunnel inside. I gasped. _What am I doing_? I wondered. Frightened, I twisted the little dial again. The rock slid back to its original position, and it looked just like it had before.

Even more afraid, I wanted to show my discovery to the others. I turned, and fled back to Lilycove.


	6. Chapter 6

"Julianne, listen to me. I'm serious. It was a trick of the light," Aria tried for what felt like the hundredth time. "There's nothing here."

I sighed, still running my hand along the smooth, slippery rock wall. "Seriously, you guys! There's _something_ here. I just feel like…" A cliché sort of shiver ran down my spine. "…Like we were _meant_ to go in there."

"Like you were _meant_ to be chucked into the loony bin?" Laila suggested, raising her eyebrows innocently when I turned to glare at her. "Really, Julianne. Tunnels hidden in random beach rocks? I guess you have a pretty good imagination, but isn't that going a little bit _too _far?"

I almost screamed with frustration. "You _guys!"_ I said. Yes, I did want to see where the tunnel was headed, but what got me the worst was how they were treating me like a head case. Admittedly, I had raced out to the Department Store and took Laila, Riley, and Aria on a wild run back to a beach rock where I'd _sworn_ I'd seen a passageway hidden inside, which was a definite sign of a headcase.

Still, I'd known what I'd seen.

The rain was even thicker now, and it was practically impossible to see beyond my nose. The high tide was coming in, and the water was up to mid-thigh now. Not that it mattered—the rain had already drenched our entire bodies. I could see why my friends, who hadn't seen the weird tunnel, would want to get out of here and check into a budget motel, or something.

Desperately, I kept tracing my hands over the rock. "It's somewhere!" I pleaded. "I…" I grasped at the rock, feeling a slight change in the texture. "Here! _Look_!"

It was the dial, all right, and I twisted it the same way I had earlier. Riley was smirking like I was playing some kind of practical joke. "Who wants to just ditch and go eat some"—

A soft grating sound cut him off. Aria squeaked softly as she turned around, yanking on her soggy braid. I almost yelled with delight. Like I expected, one side of the rock was sliding away to reveal a dark path.

"Told you," I whispered, glaring at Laila and Aria. "There's something…" I shivered softly. I felt colder than the damp, chilly weather would usually make me. "There's something there." I took a step forwards. The water was beginning to slosh into the dark passageway I'd found, and it intrigued me.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned around to see Aria glaring at me. Her hazel eyes were firm, but there was a bit of fear in them as well. "Hang on, buddy," she said fiercely. "Are you saying that we're all just going to head into a dark tunnel in the middle of the ocean because…because…" Aria seemed to be at a loss for words, "…appears?"

I clenched my teeth. "But it has to mean _something_!" I insisted. "I mean, passageways don't just open up out of rocks for no reason."

Aria narrowed her eyes. "Exactly, Julianne," she sighed. "Don't you get it?" She looked down into the dark tunnel; water flowed into the entrance. "Really, Julianne, what d'you think could be _in_ here?"

Riley raised his eyebrows, wiping water off of his face. "I think it's a trap. But it feels like…" he broke off to glare at Aria. "Like we should go in there."

I wrinkled my nose decisively and looked around for Laila. To my surprise, she wasn't standing right next to me. I glanced around, feeling a little bit wild with surprise.

"Julianne!" Aria giggled. "What are you _doing_?" She didn't notice that Laila wasn't there with us any more.

I stared down into the empty darkness of the tunnel. "She's not here," I said frantically. "She must have gone"—

Laila's bored voice sounded from in front of me, echoing a little off the rock walls of the cave. "I'm right here, y'know," she snipped back. "C'mon in here. It's not gonna hurt us." I could hear the soft _ching-ling_ of a Chimecho, and I noted silently that Laila had her Pokemon out. _Maybe not _completely_ harmless, then…_

Aria exhaled impatiently. "Are we just going to duck into the dark unknown, then?" She demanded hotly. "I mean, without some _light_?"

"Do you have a candle, or something?" I could almost feel the condescending, mock-innocence in Laila's voice. "It's not too bad in here once your eyes get used to it. Come on in…"

Riley hurried in, kicking up soft splashes of seawater as he scrambled to find Laila. I followed him a little bit more cautiously, aware that whatever was here, we would be vulnerable to. A minute or so later, Aria followed, holding a long candle in one hand. The dim light flickered on the damp walls of the cavern and flickered in the lapping ocean water filling the little room, giving the whole experience a haunted, ghostly feeling, fresh out of a cliché horror movie.

Laila turned to face us. "I think this is some kind of…entrance room," she said. Chime floated around her head, brushing up a little bit of her damp, golden hair. "What I mean is, there's some kind of steps leading down there. Take a look."

Aria and Laila took a few steps away from the entrance to the cave. I craned my neck forwards, and Riley took a step backwards. Water was rushing down what appeared to be several very steep steps, trickling down into the unknown. Aria's little candle couldn't illuminate the whole staircase—another factor in the whole horror-movie feeling.

I grabbed at the black straps of my backpack, feeling a little bit more adventurous than before. "Think we should go down there?"

Laila, Riley and I all turned excitedly to Aria, who put her non-candle-holding hand on her hip. "Do I really have any choice?" Surprisingly, she pushed past me, shouldering her way between Riley and Laila to stand in the lead, on the second step down. "Come on, you guys." She snorted sarcastically. "Follow the light."

The steps were narrow and very slippery, forcing us to walk single-file: Aria in the front, the candlelight bouncing off of the narrow, water-dripping walls, Laila behind her, with Chime floating above her head like a halo, Riley behind her, and me behind. As we continued down, careful not to slip on the thin slick of water, I think only I heard the distant grating noise, and the dim grey light beginning to be swallowed up. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to tell the others what had just happened…

…we were trapped.


	7. Chapter 7

We must have gone down several dozen flights of stairs; I lost track. What I did notice was that the water began to stop trickling downwards, and eventually the stairways leveled out into a dimly lit hallway. There was a distinct scent of stale air, and the long bar lights buzzed ominously. As Aria took a few steps down the dirty, tiled hallway, her footsteps made loud echoes.

"Another group discussion," Aria suggested. "What do you guys _think_ of this…" She waved her hand wildly at the long hallway, which bent into the darkness about a hundred yards down, "…place?"

I shook my head gently. "I don't know," I admitted. There was lots of carbonation in my stomach now, as well as a good amount of butterflies. Somehow, I didn't think it would help to add that our escape route was closed up. "It seems…interesting."

"I can sort of hear the waves," Riley reported excitedly. "We must be under the ocean."

Aria switched to hold her candle in the other hand. "That's really safe, all right," she said, with the air of a mother scolding a rambunctious eight-year-old. "These hallways…they aren't here by accident. They're leading to somewhere."

"No duh," Laila whispered under her breath, though loudly for all of us to hear her. Aria shot her a dirty look, and Laila added, "What? I mean…" She smiled, and put one hand on her hip. "What've got to lose?"

Riley glanced at her. "A life?"

Laila closed her eyes, loosened her shoulders, and sighed deeply. "Riley's pro'lly right," she admitted. "We _should_ turn back." She put heavy emphasis on the _should_, like she herself didn't agree.

That was when I started to freak out. After all, I hadn't told anyone when the our escape route started to close up, and I didn't know how to get back out. "I…I…" I stammered, subconsciously clenching my fists at my sides. "Well…"

Laila tipped her head to one side and sort of glared at me. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded. "You're acting so…"

"Weird?" Riley suggested.

"…stupid," Laila finished. "I mean it, Julianne. What do you _know_ that we don't?"

"Absolutely nothing." Well, I've never been a good liar. I scrambled for the right words. "No, really, Laila. I just think…well, there's something in here."

Aria cleared her throat, twirling her thick, smoky brown braid around her wrist. "Other than cold, dingy hallways that twist on and on, leading to nowhere?" She said wryly. "Come on, Julianne. Laila must be right—you _are_ acting a little stupid."

Anger and panic hit me, hard. "You _guys_!" I moaned. "You've only known me for like, two days! Stop acting like you _know_ everything about me."

Aria sighed angrily. "It's just…well, I've never been in a tunnel under the ocean, leading to god-knows-where," she explained hotly. "And I don't like the feel of this place. It's…creepy." Her words were a little slow coming out, like she was searching for the exact right thing to say.

A short, awkward silence followed. I twisted my damp sneaker on the wet floor, Laila reached out to brush Chime with her fingertips, and Riley folded his arms across his chest, tapping the floor with the heel of his shoe and sighed loudly.

Aria sighed, waving the candle a little bit for emphasis. "well, I don't really have a choice, do I?" She said with exasperation.

For a moment, I thought she'd figured out the whole closing-of-the-stone-cave thing. I froze, a bitter taste creeping into my mouth.

"If you guys want to go in, I'd feel like an awful person leaving you," Aria clarified slowly. 'If that's…what you all really want, I guess."

"It is," I put in instantly, earning a suspicious glance from Aria and Riley. I have to admit, I was acting a little bit strange. I also couldn't forget that Riley and Aria had just met me the previous day, and now we were trusting each other with our lives. Laila had already turned to head down the hallway, and we all followed her, Aria slowly coming into the lead, illuminating the dim passageway.

I took a deep breath as I realized what this meant. It meant two things.

I was with three people my age, two of them nearly strangers, in an unknown place where I felt like we really shouldn't be.

And I was blindly trusting enough to let this happen to me.

**One Hour later….**

The hallways kept twisting and turning, but about an hour in, we came to a fork in the road. I sighed impatiently, knowing that this would most likely lead to one of those which-way-now arguments we seemed to take place in a lot.

Aria held our candle—now dripping wax and only half as tall as it had been when we entered the cave—up in the air like the Statue of Liberty. "We have come to a fork in the road," she announced.

"No duh," Laila muttered under her breath. Turning to me, she added, "When did Steven die and make Aria the champion?"

Knowing that Aria was staring at my best friend, I chose to keep quiet and glance at Riley, who was rifling through his backpack. "We should eat something," he said quietly. "I'm starving, and there's not an end in sight to these hallways." He pulled out a small brown-paper bag and handed everyone a chunk of cold bread and a handful of dried berries. I rubbed a blue-speckled berry in my fingers, decided it was a fairly-edible Oran Berry, and nibbled at its edges.

"I think we should vote on which way to go," Laila decided, talking with her mouth full of Pecha Berries and stale bread. "Any suggestions?"

"It's easy," Riley muttered dryly. "Right or left?"

Aria politely swallowed her mouthful of food before replying to her twin brother's question. "I think there's no rhyme or reason to it," she said fairly. "We don't know where we are, or why we're here, even. I think we could just…"

I dug through one of the outer pockets on my backpack, searching for the little bit of money I'd gotten from the trainer funds back in Fortree. "Flip a coin?" I suggested, holding a small, bronze coin with the head of a Latias engraved into it.

Laila rolled her eyes. "Right is heads, okay? Left is tails?" She exchanged a glance with me, raising her eyebrows playfully.

I couldn't help but smile back. Laila and I had engaged in lots of dirty-look contests back at home, which reminds me of how far away I was from my hometown. The fires seemed like a distant memory. _My hometown burned to the ground, and now I'm in an undersea hallway leading to god-knows-where,_ I thought, clenching the coin in the palm of my hand. _What next_?

Riley nudged my shoulder. "Flip the coin, please," he said, sounding a little condescending. He had this look on his face like he was talking to someone a little bit delusional.

I tossed the coin in the air, taking the opportunity to cram the rest of my lunch into my mouth while the coin rolled on its side. When the coin fell, I think I could have heard the breathing of a Magikarp up above. The air was tense.

Aria picked up the coin. "Tails," she announced, popping the last dried Chesto berry into her mouth. "Left it is?"

Left seemed to be a good choice, I thought, as we started walking, the only noise being the clap of our shoes against the dirty floor and the gentle ringing of Chime as she hovered close to Julianne. Along with a slightly brighter light, a door popped up every now and then, though I wasn't sure where they led to. It had the certain importance of a government building.

But the air was still tense, and I still felt like we'd come across something we shouldn't. We didn't talk as we wound around corner after corner. I almost stopped thinking. With the brighter light, Aria's candle was unnecessary, dropped onto the ground after it was melted into a stub. We all started to spread out a little, feeling a little less endangered as it became clear that nothing was going to happen to us. I fell about twenty-five meters behind Riley, who was ahead of me, and maybe a hundred or so yards behind our leader, Aria.

I started feeling a little bit bored, and was thinking about catching up to Riley and striking up mindless conversation when I heard a soft shriek.

Riley glanced over his shoulder and hurried around the corner. I sprinted too, feeling a little bit winded. A lot of crazy thoughts of what had happened were rushing through my head—Aria had just hit Laila, Laila had unleashed Chime on Aria, a trapdoor had opened up underneath someone and sent them into a pool of spikes.

When I arrived, I realized it was a hundred times worse. A woman with short, spiky red hair tied with a blue bandana was standing behind a growling Mightyena. Chime hovered in front of Laila, who seemed to be frozen with terror. Riley put his hand on Laila's tensed shoulder.

"Give it up, kids," the red-haired trainer remarked. "We've got you."


	8. Chapter 8

"Chime! Psychic!" Laila called, pointing one finger at the Mightyena. Remembering my first (and only, so far) battle against Aria's Skiploom, I watched in amazement at Laila's cool head and quick reactions. Chime glowed a mysterious, blue-hot, waves of power radiating off of it, but somehow, Mightyena remained grounded, growling, red eyes cold….

"_Laila_!" Aria shouted fearfully. "Psychic attacks don't _work_ on Dark-type Pokemon!" Purple waves rolled away from Chime, and her silhouette glowed almost too bright to look at, but the attack still seemed to have no effect on the Dark-Type Pokemon standing in front of us.

Laila glanced back at Aria, reddening slightly. "Oops…"

The power-waves coming from Chime began to fade a little bit, and Laila opened her mouth as if she was going to command her Pokemon to a second attack, but the red-haired woman narrowed her eyes calmly, her blue bandana flapping slightly as she leaped into the air. "Mightyena, Dark Pulse!" she commanded almost lazily. "Finish off this Chimecho for good!"

Laila clenched her fists at her sides and bared her teeth, hissing like an angry Skitty with frustration. Mightyena's eyes glowed a scary blood-red, and dark waves pulsed from its body. Chime tumbled backwards, hitting the cold stone wall.

Laila's eyes widened with fear. "Chime! No!" She gasped, hurrying over towards her Pokemon. Cradling Chime in her arms, Laila's blue eyes widened, and her eyebrows knit together. I could tell what she was thinking—Laila was a tough trainer, and Mightyena had taken down her best Pokemon without as much as a scratch itself.

Riley stepped forwards. "If she can't take it, I will," he hissed. I glanced over at Laila; if she weren't so afraid I was nearly certain that she would have protested. "Poliwhirl! Go get 'em!"

In a flash of red light, a big round tadpole-like Pokemon emerged, pressing its white fists together threateningly. Riley pressed his teeth together. "Poliwhirl! Get it with hydro pump!"

Water spun from the center of the whirl on Poliwhirl's belly. It blasted back the Mightyena, who staggered to its paws next to the blue-bandanaed woman. The woman nodded confidently; her voice extremely cold. "Mightyena! Shadow Ball!" she commanded.

Mightyena bared its teeth as a purple-and-black ball of energy spun away from it. Poliwhirl leaped into the air, but not fast enough; the energy smacked Poliwhirl and sent it crashing into Riley, who slapped the ground with his arms to soften his fall.

I began breathing fast, and stood up. Before I knew what I was doing, I had taken a few steps away from the battle, back towards where we'd came from. My heart hammered in my chest, and I was afraid. It was my animal instinct—forget Aria, leave Riley to die, leave Laila. I wanted to get out of there.

Something pulled on my shirt collar, reeling me back. Laila's eyes glittered with shock, and her damp, drying hair brushed my face. "Julianne!" She shouted, her voice Pdeep with panick. "Where are you going?"

I put my hand on her hand. "Let me go!" I gasped.

Laila closed her eyes. "You can't leave!" she howled. "Get back here! Riley's in trouble! Aria's in trouble! _I'm _in trouble!"

Panic flared again in my throat. "Laila, I can't take it!" I shouted back at her. "Somehow—somehow, we've tripped an alarm. We need to get out!"

Laila closed her eyes. "Julianne, no," she said angrily. "We're in this together." She gave my shirt collar a hard tug, and I was again in view of the Pokemon battle. "Get back here."

I was in time to see Poliwhirl land heavily on the ground next to Riley, while Mightyena staggered, collapsing finally. The woman drew out a blue-and-white capsule—a Great Ball—and recalled her Pokemon in a flash of red light. "You'd better run!" She advised furiously. "There'll be more where that came from." While we were all rooted to the ground with shock, she fled, making little noise as her shoes hit the cold floor. Riley pulled out a Pokeball, bringing Poliwhirl back in. Embarassment washed over me as I realized that everyone was staring at me. They must have heard Laila yelling at me.

I took a few deep breaths, pushing brown hair out of my face. "Wh-what was that?"

Aria closed her eyes, twisting her braid around her hand. "I recognize the logo on that bandana," she remarked slowly. "It was on television one time."

I shook my head, glad the attention was off of me. I had gotten so irrational that I didn't even realize that the blue bandana _had_ a logo.

Laila nodded slowly, holding Chime's Pokeball in her hand. "Some kind of criminal syndicate," she agreed. Her eyes slowly lit up. "Team Aqua!"

Fear put a bitter taste in my mouth. Team Aqua was something that belonged on 11-o-clock news specials—a criminal syndicate obsessed with world domination. I'd always viewed them as a distant threat—nothing to be really afraid of.

Aria closed her eyes gently, her face relaxed. "I don't understand it," she admitted. "It's just…how did we get here?" Though her voice wasn't accusing, I felt awful. She was right—we had been reckless, and we must have lead ourselves into a criminal group headquarters.

Riley smoothed a hand through his red hair. "I'm afraid, really," he admitted. I admired his courage in saying so. "I think that we don't have time to be sitting and talking. That grunt back there—she said she was running for help. We need to get out of here."

Even though I'd forgotten that the exit to this maze was closed, my stomach lurched. "Where—how?" I demanded.

Laila twirled her golden-brown hair on her index finger. "We should walk a bit," she agreed, "But we need time to sleep, too."

As if to prove a point, Aria yawned, stretching her neck up towards the low ceiling. "I almost forgot," she agreed. "But we should make up a little bit of ground." She stood up, beginning to walk. Riley followed her, and Laila dropped to the back of the group with me.

"I feel vulnerable," Laila whispered, rolling Chime's Pokeball in her hand. "We don't have access to a Pokemon Center in here. My best Pokemon's out, too." She shuddered, glancing over at me with rounded blue eyes. "And, who knows what's down here?"

I nodded in agreement, my throat too tight to answer. We all walked in silence for a little, the only noise being the clicking of our shoes against the tiles.

Aria led us through the maze of tunnels, glancing over her shoulder every so often. We passed a handful of doors, none of which we entered, and chose paths through forks in the road, with seemingly no logic. Everything looked alike—the dirty linoleum floors, buzzing bar lights above on the white ceiling, the white walls. For all I knew, we could have been walking in a huge circle.

I rubbed my fingers against the black straps of my backpack. Castform's Pokeball clinked inside, as well as a couple of potions, antidotes, and other Pokemon supplies. I shivered. _So much has happened lately,_ I reflected. _But…I still don't feel like a Pokemon trainer…_

"Hey, Julianne." I almost jumped with surprise to see that it was Riley talking to me, his wavy red hair drying messily around his face. "Big day, huh?"

I thought of what to say, suddenly becoming aware that I had never talked to Riley one-on-one before. "I…I suppose so," I said slowly. Aria was walking a few yards ahead, and I sped up my pace to catch up to her. "I just want to be out of here."

Riley nodded in response, dropping back a little bit to chat with Laila. I kept walking, feeling dizzy with fear.

We walked for much longer than I would have expected; I lost track of the time. Finally, though, Aria stopped. We were in the middle of a long corridor that stretched on about fifty yards on either side. We waited for Riley and Laila to catch up, and the only sound was the gentle buzzing of the lights above.

"We should take a rest," Aria announced as soon as Riley and Laila had joined us.

"And eat something, too," Riley added, earning a bit of a glare from Aria.

"We don't have enough food," Aria muttered, pulling out a white bag of bread. "We don't know how long we'll be stuck here, you know."

Laila slumped against the wall. "I don't like saying the word _stuck_," she told us adamantly. "It makes me feel like we'll be stuck in here forever."

Riley's lips twitched a little. "We might yet."

Aria cleared her throat impatiently. "Anyways, we all need rest," she added.

I set my backpack down in the middle of the hallway, feeling exhausted. I realized how long we must have been walking, and wondered vaguely where we were. "What about the Aqua grunts?" I wanted to know.

Aria nodded. " I think we should keep watch in shifts," she put in smoothly. "One of us will stay awake, and wake up another later. And on and on."

Riley smirked. "I volunteer Laila to keep first shift," he told us.

Laila expressed her feelings by hitting him softly on the arm.

"Stop it," Aria grumbled, yanking on her smoky brown braid. "_I'll_ keep watch tonight, okay? I'm not tired." She sounded a little bit like a victim, but she sat against the wall. "You guys go to sleep. The sooner we're out of here, the sooner I'll feel safe again." She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "Though, that'd better be soon. _Really_ soon…"

None of us spoke again, and the only sound was the sound of zippers on backpacks as we pulled out blankets. Laila slept close to me, her hair draped across my shoulder, and Riley was rolled onto the other side. Soon, I could hear Laila's soft, drowsy breaths and Riley's even breathing, but fear kept me wide awake. I kept glancing over at Aria, who was staring down one side of the hallway, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Uncomfortably, I remembered how unquestionable life had been just a couple days ago; a couple days ago I'd found life boring.

_Now…now I'm trapped here,_ I thought. It was scary to admit it, even to myself, but I couldn't ignore it. _Worse, I got everyone _else_ trapped down here._ Fear clenched my fists again. _Oh, God. What've I done?_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** This is a short, slightly rushed, and supposed-to-be suspenseful chapter. Mostly, though, it's just a filler chapter so there's not too much to cover in Chapter 10, therefore stressing me out ;-)

This is pretty much the climax of the story, though I'd say there's a good five or six chapters left here. This is really the beginning of the chapters that begin to piece everything together. Thank you so much to anyone who's read this far. Hope you enjoy the literature!

Apolo

I wasn't really able to sleep, but I slipped in and out of a light sleep, still aware of everything that was going on. I heard when Aria stood up, pacing the hallway back and forth, I heard when Laila rolled into Riley, who nudged her gently away from him, and I heard when Aria walked over to me, nudging me gently.

"Julianne. Julianne," Aria whispered. The end of her braid tickled my cheek, and I looked up blearily. Aria's grey eyes were exhausted. "I think we should get a move on. I don't…" Her voice trailed off, ending with a shiver. "I don't like staying in one place for too long. I think someone knows we're here."

I grunted softly in agreement. The exhaustion from the day was beginning to sink in, and I felt like a Graveler wrapped in blankets.

Aria lifted her head. "I'll wake up Laila and Riley," she offered, scooting over towards the rest of our companions.

I sat up, blinking groggily. The constant dim lighting was disorienting; I didn't know whether it was midnight or mid-day. I grabbed for my backpack, realizing suddenly that I hadn't changed out of these clothes in days. _Oh well, _I thought, wondering with amazement how I had gone from being a bit of a prissy teen to…well, what I am right now.

"S' wha's the plan?" Riley asked, his voice slurred with sleep. He shook his head like a wet Poochyena, and seemed to wake up a little. "Do we get breakfast, Ari?"

Aria rolled her eyes, handing everyone a slice of bread. I jammed mine in my mouth and almost choked on it, realizing how hungry I was. Aria nibbled at the crust of her own breakfast. "I think we should keep moving," she announced finally, gulping down a bite of bread. "We're headed somewhere. I just don't know where."

Laila crumpled her blanket into her backpack, her eyes round and troubled. "I don't know what to expect anymore," she said finally. "I'm really nervous, you guys. I mean…" she paused meaningfully, "…what can we expect?"

Riley's response was dry and a bit sarcastic. "An extremely pissed-off murderer, of course," he snorted.

The look on Laila's face made it clear that she didn't take Riley's comment as lightly as he did.

Aria stood up, swallowing the last little bite of bread. "I want to get moving," she announced. "We need to get out of here. I think something's on to us."

I folded my blanket neatly, tucking it into my backpack. Aria and Riley had moved on ahead, but Laila was waiting for me, fidgeting with the straps of her backpack.

"I can't believe we're here," I said finally, speeding up a little to match pace with the twins. "And I can't believe I don't know where we're headed."

Laila nodded. She was giving off an extremely serious vibe, out-of-character for Laila. With a jolt, I realized exactly how horrible a situation I had gotten my friends into. I actually gritted my teeth to brace myself for the wave of guilt coming to me. _God, oh God,_ I languished. _Please, get us out of here!_

The hallways kept twisting on. Laila was stone-faced, staring ahead, though I noticed that she had pulled a Pokeball out of her backpack and was tossing it from hand to hand like a juggler. We traveled in a tight pack, so close together that my shoulders brushed Laila and Aria's. I felt safe, but at the same time I felt like we were headed towards some unknown doom.

Somehow, the temperature began to rise in the hallways. Aria wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, taking a turn down a corridor leading to the right. "Is it just me," she asked, "Or is it _really_ hot in here?"

I combed my hand absentmindedly through my hair. "Humid, too," I agreed. This struck me as extremely odd. From what we had gathered yesterday, we were under the ocean. _Where're we headed?_ I wondered, shuddering at the thought.

Riley crinkled his nose. "I think we should get out of here," he said briskly. "It doesn't feel very safe. Not that I felt safer back in the hallways that way"—he pointed his thumb in the direction we had come from—"But there's a certain something about hot, humid heat underseas that doesn't seem right."

"No joke," Laila added tersely.

We passed an unlabeled door; Aria gave it a suspicious glance and quickened her pace. "I'm not sure," she said uncomfortably. "I hardly remember which way we came…"

Riley was insistent. "We could backtrack," he said, like there was no other option. "Really, something's off about this place. I want to get out."

The curiosity I had felt when we first entered this labyrinth was gone. I was sweating, and not just because of the humid heat. All I wanted now was to get out.

Laila closed her eyes, though I could see tears gathering at the edges of her eyes. "I want to get out of here," she panicked. Her voice wobbled a little, and she sank onto Riley's shoulder. "I—I just want to leave."

I bit my knuckle so hard that I actually checked to see if I'd drawn blood. "We have to get out of here," I assured her, though I didn't feel so sure myself. "We're going to get out. We have to."

Riley put his hand on Laila's shoulder. As we continued, an eerie red light began to bounce off the walls, turning Riley's hair into a brilliant flame and Laila's aglow. There was no question of the moisture and heat in the air; I stopped trying to wipe the sweat off my face and neck. Deep sounds echoed from the walls, loud, growling sounds that sounded almost supernatural. Laila's breathing was quick, tears and sweat streaming down her face.

The sounds became louder and louder; the light stronger and stronger. I held my breath, tears welling up out of my eyes. Aria was poker-faced, though she, too, looked tense and scared.

It all happened at once, almost a blur in my mind. The endless maze of tunnels suddenly stopped, opening into a high-walled cave. There were lots of things to notice, but the first thing I noticed was that Laila was sobbing onto Riley's shoulder.

The second thing I noticed was the light—red and blue, bouncing off the walls. I also noticed the red and blue pools of liquid in the center of the cavern.

The noise was deafening. The third thing I noticed made me blink and rub sweat out of my eyes. I couldn't believe what I saw. Still, I trust my eyes.

I saw Groudon and Kyogre.

I stared, barely aware of tears trickling out of my eyes—mixed emotions, predominantly fear, but also amazement and shock. I hardly noticed that there were four people headed towards us, who I could barely identify as Gym Leaders—Winona, Wallace, Liza, and Tate. Winona and Wallace exchanged glances, and Winona took a step forwards.

I had a lot of questions about to bubble to the surface, but amazement froze my voice. Winona's voice was loud, but it was barely audible over the battle cries of the two deities battling in the pools of red and blue. There were a lot of questions I'm sure they wanted to know—what four teenagers were doing in a cave chock full of legendary Pokemon among them—but the question was exactly what I wanted to know myself. "What the hell are you doing here?"


	10. Chapter 10

I sort of closed my eyes, trying to drown it all out. Aria stumbled over her words, trying to find the right way to answer Winona, and Laila straightened herself, still sniffling. Riley was silent, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking, doing, or feeling.

I stayed in the trance-like state for as long as I could, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Riley looked down at me, his eyebrows flicking up slightly. He slipped ahead of me, and I followed him out of the cavern and back into the maze of dully-lit pathways. We were following Wallace, I noticed, and he led us about a hundred meters away from the cavern. I could still hear the warcries of the Groudon and Kyogre, though they were slightly softer.

Aria addressed the Gym Leaders with a quick, bow-like dip of her head, and introduced us. Her voice wobbled only slightly as she began; the rest of us were too speechless to introduce ourselves. "I'm Aria, and this"—she motioned with her hand to Riley, whose red hair was flattened against his head with sweat—"is my brother Riley. These are Laila and Julianne, our traveling companions." She introduced each of us in turn, and added, "Laila and Julianne became trainers after the fire in Fortree."

Winona closed her eyes, as if that were particularly painful to bring up. I was too numb with shock to even think about it. Though it hadn't even been a week ago, it felt like centuries before.

"You can trust us," Riley blurter out, slapping his hand over his mouth as soon as he said it. He earned an suspicious glance from Liza and Wallace, a stern glare from his twin sister, and a soft giggle from Laila.

My heart stopped beating at hyperfast, though it was still pounding against my ribcage. The four Gym Leaders exchanged glances—I could almost swear I could see encoded messages flying from their eyes—and finally they nodded. _Was it just me, or were Liza and Tate's nods simultaneous? _I mused.

There was an awkward silence, but finally Wallace spoke: "Then we will tell you what you—we—are doing down here."

The eight of us separated into two groups—the four Gym Leaders, and the four of us, backed up onto parallel walls. Winona stepped forwards, looked each of us briefly, unnervingly, in the eye, cleared her throat, and began her stunning soliloquy.

"You have to know…" she began, "What you need to understand is what you just saw back there is a highly classified, top-secret case. I don't know how you got into these tunnels, let alone navigate yourself all the way to the Cave of Origin, but what you saw will never be released to the general public."

I blinked, cocking my head a little bit. _Cave of Origin?_ I wondered. The Cave of Origin was in Sootopolis—a tourist attraction that no tourist was allowed into. _That was the Cave of Origin? But how…_

Aria cleared her throat, taking an uncertain step forwards. "Did you say _Cave of Origin?_" She asked, putting my exact thoughts into words. "Were we just in the Cave of Origin?" She looked Winona in the eye, and nodded quickly. I admired Aria's bravery, and was glad that she was the one doing the talking. I was content just to watch.

"As you might have guessed, these tunnels lead under the sea. The tunnels were built by Team Aqua." She smiled mysteriously at us. "How much do you four know?"

Riley and I turned to look at Aria, expecting her to instantly launch into our story, but it was Laila who stepped forwards to stand, front and center, in the middle of the long hallway. "We four decided to travel together," she said. Her voice was small, far from her usual, bubbly chirp. "At the Lilycove Beach, Julianne discovered a rock—a rock that could open if a dial was twisted. It revealed a cave, and…" Laila shuddered involuntarily, "We went in. We navigated through the tunnels"—'_navigated' was the wrong word_, I thought instantly, _to describe our endless wandering_, "And we found the…the…" Laila seemed to be faltering a little, "…cave. That…" She almost seemed to refuse saying the words _Cave of Origin, _as if she in as much disbelief as I was that we had entered the sacred cave.

"Let me explain," Winona said after a reflective pause. "The tunnels were built by Team Aqua as their headquarters. You know that their mission is to expand the seas, and they stole the Blue Orb from Mt. Pyre in order to awaken Kyogre. Kyogre, the legendary beast of the sea, is the only Pokemon capable of expanding the seas to completely cover the land.

"But Team Magma also grasped control of the Red Orb, and they, too, dug tunnels leading to the cave of Origin. This served as their base as well…only their tunnels led away from the beaches of Mossdeep. They were discovered by Liza, at a training session at the beach, I believe."

Shock coursed through me, and I finally was able to stammer out a question. "They…they both created headquarters leading to the Cave of Origin," I said finally.

Winona nodded.

"Did they know that they had the same plans; they were headed to the same place?" I asked incredulously. It seemed hard to believe, a rare piece of timing that would rip Hoenn apart at its seams. Slowly, things began to fall into place. "They awakened Groudon and Kyogre! They control the weater…they…the weird weather patterns in Hoenn…"

"The weather has worsened," Liza reported, in an emotionless voice. "Sootopolis was flooded, killing hundreds of people and Pokemon. The lightning and harsh rains have created blackouts, shutting down hospitals all over Hoenn. Our fate hangs in a precarious balance."

I shivered, imagining Sootopolis—a beautiful island city surrounded by the sparkling, deep blue ocean—flooded. There was no inland for the inhabitants of the city to run.

Winona cleared her throat, cutting through my thoughts. "I am not sure whether the two organizations knew that they were headed to the same place, at the same time. The only thing I know is that Archie and Maxie met in the Cave of Origin, and awoke Groudon and Kyogre. Enraged, and out of control, the two Pokemon have been battling for months now."

"Can you use the orbs to calm the Pokemon down?" Laila asked, gulping. I could see fear glowing in her bright blue eyes.  
"I believe you cannot," Winona answered with a shrug. "How would I know? I have never experimented with the powers of an ancient Pokemon."

"S-sorry…"

"Anyways, even if there was that possibility, the Red Orb has gone missing with Maxie. I'm not sure whether he realized the magnitude of what he and Archie have done, but Team Magma hasn't been sighted or detected since Groudon and Kyogre awakened. They are believed to have disbanded, and fled."

Riley brushed his bangs to the side of his face. "What about Team Aqua? A grunt attacked us in the hallways." A brief glow of pride appeared on his face. "Though we fought her off."

Winona looked brooding. "When Liza and Tate entered this labyrinth from the side of Team Magma, they found the Cave of Origin," she explained carefully. "However, Team Aqua detected them. Liza and Tate ingeniously lured Archie out of the cave, I believe, with a very low-tech chase leading them out of the tunnels, and into Mossdeep."

Liza and Tate looked at each other and nodded with almost scary synchronization. Winona took a deep breath before continuing the story. "Once Team Aqua found that their leader was gone, without much of a trace, they were directionless. Some extremely devoted supporters may have stayed in the base, waiting for Archie to come back to them, but the others scattered, as Team Magma did."

"What happened to Archie?" Laila wanted to know.

"Archie was defeated by Tate," Liza chimed in instantly. "We don't know where he went. He fled." She smiled briefly, and her brother returned the expression.

Winona smiled a brief, sad smile. "There's more, though. Earlier, you asked if the Orbs could calm the two Legendary Pokemon down? Well, the red orb has gone missing with Maxie…and the Blue Orb was broken."

The four of us—Laila, Riley, Aria, and I—gasped. Even Aria was astounded to the point of being speechless. However, Laila finally managed to stammer out, "H-h-how?"

Winona shook her head. "That is unknown," she said after a long silence. "However, with both of the Orbs out of the question, the only way that Groudon and Kyogre will be subdued is to defeat them in a Pokemon Battle."

"How?" Riley demanded, a trace of fear edging into his voice.  
"Liza and Tate, after defeating Archie, they alerted the Pokemon League. The Elite Four held a council, and they selected the four of us to come down and try and defeat Groudon and Kyogre."

"And…this has to do with _getting the world back to normal_…" Aria said. Her voice was edgy, and on the verge of being rude. I knew, though, that she must have been as scared as I felt—helpless and scared.

Winona shook her head. "We don't know," she said finally.

Aria cringed, a hopeless, fearful look in her eyes. "Does the Pokemon League know?" she questioned, twirling the end of her braid around her index finger.

Wallace nodded gravely. "Our mission is practically compromised. Winona and I both faced up to the two Pokemon, with no luck. We need some sort of backup."

A shiver chilled the air around me, even though it was still incredibly warm and humid. "Is…is there a _way_ to defeat the two Pokemon?" I inquired, fear shaking my quiet voice so much that I was afraid nothing would come out.

Winona answered us, pushing her long violet hair onto one shoulder. "We were going to split up," she said finally. "Liza and Tate want to stay down here in the tunnels, and have their shot and defeating Kyogre and Groudon. Winona and I need to go back up to Hoenn…our Pokemon are hopelessly defeated, and we need to travel to Ever Grande to request to the Elite Four some backup."

All of us nodded, trying to absorb and believe everything we'd just heard, but Riley was the first one to speak up. "I want to help do something."

The Gym Leaders exchanged glances among themselvesv, but it was Aria's reaction that startled me. She gasped, putting a hand on her brother's shoulders. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and I was shocked. Out of all of us, Aria had always seemed the most unshakable. Her tears brought some of my own bubbling up to the surface. "Are you crazy, Riley?" She demanded. "This is dangerous! Wallace and Winona and Gym Leaders. If they can't defeat Kyogre and Groudon, then we certainly can't."

Riley looked indignant, and a glow blazed in his hazel eyes. "We stumbled here for a reason," he insisted. "We can't possibly just walk away—not when we know the truth now."

Chiming in with an incredibly cliché remark, Laila added, "The fate of the world is in our hands!"

Aria was losing ground quickly. It's not every day that you walk into a battle that could tear apart the world, and I know that I could never walk out without helping without feeling huge guilt pangs. "But…what if they don't _want_ our help?" She suggested desperately.

Riley and Laila turned to look at the four Gym Leaders, who were huddled close together and deep in conversation. Tate glanced over his shoulder and nudged Winona, who turned to address us. "We would split up," Winona said finally, "If you wanted to help. Two of you would go with me and Wallace out of the tunnels—two of you would stay with Tate and Liza and try to fight Kyogre and Groudon."

Laila flashed a pleading glance at Aria, who sighed. "I don't want to split up," she said finally, sounding deeply resigned. "It doesn't feel safe."

"You think there's a choice?" Laila whispered. Her voice was loud enough to reach us, but not loud enough to be heard by the four Gym Leaders. "We _have_ to help, Aria—even if it means splitting up." Turning to the Gym Leaders, she combed her hand through her blonde hair and added, "How would we split up?"

Liza and Tate exchanged glances. 'It's up to you," they said finally. Their voices were a little bit monotonous, and a lot synchronized. It was freaky.

Aria grabbed me and Riley by the shoulders, bringing us in to a tight circle. In the damp, hot air, our body heat was particularly unbearable. Aria was staring daggers at everyone, and it took a lot of courage to speak up.

"I need to stay with Tate and Liza," I said finally. "I want to help that way. I don't have experience with Pokemon, but I know that that's what…" _I was meant to do_ was how I meant to finish my sentence, but I was afraid of sounding stupid. I scraped my sneaker against the linoleum, waiting for someone to contradict me.

Aria sighed deeply. "I do to," she said finally. "You all know that I'm opposed to this—it's the job of the Pokemon League, not of four teenagers, but I want to be where the action is. I want to feel like…" she shuddered, her shoulder brushing against mine, "I want to feel like, if I sacrifice my life, then I was in the thick of the battles." Her voice and tone were completely serious, so intense, and it made me inhale sharply. _Are we in danger of dying? _I wondered. _Is that what we're getting ourselves into?_

Laila shot a sidelong glance at Riley. "So Riley and I would go up with Winona and Wallace?" She asked. "We would go with them…to the Pokemon League, I guess?"

Aria looked distrustful. "I don't see why they need an escort," she said scornfully. "I'd feel safer if we were all down here."

Laila looked hopeful. "I'm sure they have their reasons," she said, talking quickly. She looked a little more serious, and added, "I don't like being down in these tunnels, Aria. I feel trapped. I need to be…I need to be at the surface." She shot another meaningful look at Riley, who met her eye. Laila looked away quickly.

"We would go, then?" Riley's question was more of a statement. There was a certain finality that made this decision painful. "Should we go tell them?" He took a step back as if he were about to leave, but Aria pulled him in closer.

Tears slipped down Aria's cheeks as she pulled us all closer. "Don't let anything happen to you," she breathed softly. "Please."

Laila's voice was shaky, but at least she had the courage to speak. "We'll meet you here again," she vowed. We split apart, and she turned to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Riley. "I promise you that."


	11. Apolo's Note

A/N: Hey everyone…

**A/N:** Hey everyone…

High school has started for me, and everyone is split up between lots of different schools. My life is kind of a whirlwind right now, with homework, friends, after school activities…you know the drill. I might not get around to updating as much anymore, but my goal is once or twice a month.

Apolo


	12. POV: Laila

"Hurry up! We've got to make it to Ever Grande this century, you know." Winona was shouting—it was quite an accomplishment to shout loud enough to be heard over the whipping winds—but it sounded faint, almost drowned out.

Riley turned to me. I think he meant to grab my hand, but instead he knocked my elbow with his knuckle, and I jumped a bit, extremely surprised. His eyes were exhausted, water dripping from his eyelashes. "The way she's talking, you'd think we were going to save the world, or something." I glanced at him, wondering if maybe he was cracking up, but he just cracked a smile

We were slogging through the flooded streets of Lilycove, drenched and sleepy. The following night, we'd stumbled into a run-down hotel, and I'd had to share a cramped twin bed with Riley while Winona and Wallace slept in the room next to us. I didn't remember what I'd eaten for breakfast—some hard thing with certain characteristics of a brick—and we were headed towards the path back to Fortree. Wallace had explained to us that the little gulf around Mt. Pyre had slightly calmer water, sheltered slightly from the wind. Personally, I thought it was a little stupid, since the path we were taking was backtrack if we were going to Ever Grande, but I didn't want to question Gym Leaders, you know?

Wallace and Winona were walking maybe a yard ahead of Riley and I. Riley, with the longer legs, was walking quickly, and I kept dropping back, then racing to catch up. The walk was exhausting, my face burning despite the freezing rain.

I was starting to wish that I had stayed behind with Aria and Julianne, back in the Cave of Origin. With a shiver of fear and curiosity, I wondered how they were doing down, deep below us. Groudon and Kyogre, blazing like gemstones, their earsplitting roars booming across the canyon, was a clear image in my mind. I could imagine Aria, Julianne, Liza and Tate, but somehow, I couldn't see the two legendary Pokemon defeated.

The rain-slicked street was replaced with extremely soggy mud as we power-walked out onto the path to Fortree City. The rain was blinding, and I brushing up against Riley, and he kept whipping his head around at the slightest touch, flinging water onto me.

In a panicked moment I realized that I couldn't see Winona and Wallace anymore, until I heard Winona's voice rising up over the wind and rain. "We're here, at the gulf, you two."

I blinked with suprise. I hadn't realized that we were so close, but I could see Winona and Wallace standing at the edge of the rough water, lapping against the surface. I blinked at Riley, who raised his eyebrows at me. Despite the seriosity of the situation, I couldn't help but giggle.

"Er...how are we going to get out to Ever Grande?" Riley volunteered, sounding slightly doubtful. He turned to stare out at the water, choppy and rough from the winds. "We don't have a boat...I don't fancy swimming in that, either." It was joke, but his joke was met with an annoyed, stupid-little-kid glance from Winona.

"We have Whishcash and Sealio," Wallace said. "They're not big, but they're strong swimmers. Two people per Pokemon."

I shivered at the prospect, and Riley turned to look at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. I looked into his eyes, though; they were shadowed with doubt. "Why not take Winona's Pokmeon?" he suggested. "Altaria and Skarmory seem more..." he seemed to be looking for the least offensive words, "Bigger."

I glanced up at the sky and the brilliant streaks of forked lightning that flashed down from the storm-raged sky. "Too dangerous," I answered, nudging Riley with my elbow. "It'd be dangerous to be that high up, wouldn't it?"

Riley shrugged. "Better than riding on a Whishcash, isn't it?" he snorted. His tone was gruff, but he sounded more than a little afraid. I was close enough to him to feel him shivering.

Fear tugged at me, too, but I was determined not to sound like a wimp. Besides, I could almost feel the levels of the lapping water rising, nearly ankle-deep now. The soaked, muddy sand was beginning to give way under my feet. "Riley..." was all I managed to choke out.

Winona had been watching us impatiently, like an annoyed mother watching her toddlers argue. "We don't have time for this," she urged. "We _need _to get to Ever Grande! The longer we wait, the more danger the Liza and Tate are in!"

_And Julianne and Aria,_ I thought grumpily. I realized that Whishcash and Sealio were already bobbing in the water, effortlessly despite the strong waves and wind. Wallace was sitting on Whishcash's flat, navy-blue back, and Winona waded out to sit next to him. Sealio bobbled in the water, and I glanced swiftly at Riley. His hazel eyes were frozen, half with fear and half with dismay.

"Can you swim?" I whispered, resisting the temptation to reach out and grab his hand. _What's wrong with me these days?_ An echo somewhere in the back of my mind wondered. I knew the world was in our hands, but I looked down at Riley's, dangling limply at his side. Mustering up a lot of courage, I brushed my pinky finger across the back of his hand, recoiling and feeling dismayed. _God, Laila, you do suck,_ I thought, shaking my head to clear up my mind. _You're such a shallow teenager..._

Riley looked slightly annoyed, turning to look at me. Being fairly short, and Riley a bit taller, he was looking down at me. His mouth and words were harsh, but the expression in his eyes was still utterly unreadable. "Of course I can," he shot back.

Formulating a tart, witty kind of expression, I opened my mouth, only to realize that Riley was wading out, into the knee-deep water towards Sealio. He put his hand around the blubbery blue Pokemon's neck, then turned around to face me. "Don't tell me _you _can't swim?"

I stammered for words, feeling warmth rising in my cheeks even as the freezing rain lashed them. I took a few hesitant steps into the water, gasping with shock. The current was so strong I was afraid of being pulled in, and the water was icy. "Of--of--" I gasped, meaning to say _of course_.

"Laila, hurry!" Winona shouted at me. Whishcash was swimming a tight little circle in the stormy water, and both Gym Leaders (not to mention Riley) were looking at me in an unnerving way that made me hurry, nearly tripping and landing face-first in the water. I grabbed Sealio's tail, trying to push myself up onto the Pokmeon's slippery body. As if Sealio, too, were impatient with me, he slapped his tail against the water, sending a frigid spray into my face in larger, heavier drops than the rain. Panicky, I slid onto Sealio's back, leaning my head against Riley's shoulder.

Riley shrugged his shoulder, turning around to face me. "Geez, Laila," he said. "Get off of me."

Stung and a little bit annoyed, I tried to think of something to say when Sealio suddenly lurched into motion, its tail slapping against the water and fins churning beneath us. A foot or so away was Whiscash, with Wallace and Winona on its back. Finally, Winona stopped looking pissed off at me, and Wallace craned his neck around to look at me and Riley.

"Sealio and Whiscash are fast swimmers," he reported. I dared myself to look down at the foamy black water beneath us, and realized that we _were_ moving fast, faster than I'd expected, despite the headwind and rough waves. "We'll be at Ever Grande soon. It's closer than you think."

I tried to be relieved at this, but it was hard when the heavy rain had already hidden the shore. Riley was unmoving, and I imagined his hazel eyes closed, straight ahead, with the rain plastering his red-brown hair to his face. I tried to calm myself down by looking up at the sky, and the black thunderclouds above. _Kyogre's work,_ I thought, though this was hardly comforting. I shivered again, imagining Julianne and Aria. The way I saw them wasn't the way I wanted to see them, they were sprawled across the cavern floor, eyes closed..._no,_ I thought, my stomach twisting. _They're just fine. They're with two Gym Leaders...they're strong trainers...Aria, anyways..._

There was nothing for me to look at now except for the churning black sky and water, which stretched as far as we could see. Somehow, I wondered if it might have been safer to have been below the surface, where there wasn't a chance of drowning where nobody would ever, ever recover your body. _They could get eaten by Groudon, though,_ I considered, though my usual bubbly humor wasn't even enough to put a smile on my face. Today, that felt too real. I tried not to imagine them getting eaten by a legendary Pokemon.

The waves stretched by, and I felt numbed by the cold rain. Exhausted, finally with a chance to sit and relax, I put my head on Riley's shoulder. This time, he didn't protest. I was too scared to wonder what he was thinking. Closing my eyes, though, I realized that he was shaking.

**A/N: Hey everyone...**I'm in High School now, which is about fifty times more homework than I'd expected. Don't expect many updates...anyhow, the next few chapters will be from the points of view of the various main characters. Sorry for the long delay...


	13. POV: Riley

I waited for awhile for Laila to say something to me, something bubbly and annoying, but after awhile her deep breathing told me she was asleep. I craned my neck around awkwardly and saw that Laila's chin was hooked around my shoulder. Suddenly, I realized that my shoulder was the only thing keeping her from falling into the water.

The time stretched on and on, with nothing to pass the time except to watch the rain fall on the water. After what felt like days, or maybe years, I glanced over and took note of the fact that Wallace and Winona were still on their Whishcash, an arms' reach away. I shivered, feeling a little bit annoyed. Why did they even drag us along? I wondered irritably. I doubted that they'd said three words to us, other than "hurry up". Snobs…

In the strangest of ironies, Winona turned towards me, and looked me in the eye. I tried to return the gesture, wondering if it was compassionate or challenging, but rain splashed into my eyes, and they stung, forcing me to close them. "Ever Grande is maybe an hour away," she told me.

"Big deal," I muttered under my breath. Wallace wasn't bad, but Winona was somehow impatient and irritable in a way that reminded me of Aria, what with the authoritatively annoying personality. The one thing she lacked, though, was the strange bond that connected me and Aria. We were twins, after all. Winona's message, though, was a relieving one. I didn't like being out here, in the open ocean, with no land around me on all sides. Laila had been wrong, I do know how to swim, but it was still scary to think about the fact that I was dead smack in the middle of the ocean.

After awhile, trying to worry myself by looking down at the choppy, churning water and imagining drowning, then imagining Laila being flung into the ocean and devoured by a Sharpedo, then imagining Winona getting hit by a lightning bolt, I realized that I was trying to distract myself from what I was really worried about—Aria. I wasn't particularly worried about Julianne, because I barely knew her, and I knew that Liza and Tate could handle themselves—or they should be able to, anyways. Laila's head shifted on my shoulder, and I decided, sort of embarrassed, that I was glad Laila was here with me, and I could be sure of her safety and existence. A shiver passed through my spine, and I closed my eyes. Somehow, Laila's bright, bubbly personality, one that I usually perceive as annoying, was less annoying to me now. Extremely embarrassed, I shook my head fiercely. God! I thought irritably, feeling like a giant idiot. What am I thinking? How long have I known her—like, huh, three days? How long has it been, anyways? Still peeved, I realized that I had lost track of the time. I wasn't even sure where I was, at any rate.

Laila's head jerked up, and she shook her head. Damp, golden-brown hair settled on my shoulder, soaking my already-drenched clothes. I brushed it away, and Laila recoiled. Sealio was a small Pokemon; I could feel her every move as well as the churning of the blue seal Pokmeon's fins and tail. "Where are we?" Laila asked, sounding extremely disoriented.

The answer was so self-evident that I almost burst out laughing. "The ocean," I responded, as nonchalantly as I possibly could. I didn't like sounding warmhearted or mushy, and but I was actually surprised at how cold I had come across. Fear knotted up my intestines, making it hard to sound caring or even sarcastic.

Laila seemed to have no such problem. Her voice was its usual bubbly, high-pitched self, though I noticed a slight waver of fear. "Close to Ever Grande, right?" she asked. The tone of her voice told me that I wasn't the only one afraid of being in the rough open ocean.

I snorted. I wasn't so much annoyed with her as I was annoyed in general. Jerking my thumb over at Wallace, Winona, and Whiscash, I wrinkled my nose and muttered, "Ask them."

Laila's head brushed against mine, and I felt her turn her neck to look at the Gym Leaders. I had a slight fear of talking to the two of them, so high-and-mighty, and in their little world, but those kind of respect-boundaries don't always seem to apply to Laila. "Hey! Oi!" Daringly, Laila lifted one hand and waved it wildly in the air. "Wallace? Winona?"

Winona turned around. "Lana?" she asked.

Laila raised her head, again holding on to Sealio's body. "No, it's Laila," she clarified, sounding slightly indignant as well as sleepy.

Winona shook her head, as if she were coming out of a trance. "Laila, then," she said. "We're nearly to Ever Grande." She avoided looking at Laila as she spoke, and even through the lashing rain I could see that she was focused ahead. I knew that neither me or Laila knew much, and we wouldn't get any kind of information from Winona or, for that matter, Wallace, either. I bit my lip with frustration. We're not doing anything, I thought, both scared and desperate. Why did we come, anyways? They sure aren't grateful for our help. I closed my eyes, tightening my grip on Sealio, and reminded myself that we hadn't exactly done anything useful in the first place. Still...

With the lashing of the rain and wind against the rough water, and the occasional streak of forked lightning followed by an earsplitting boom of thunder, it was anything but quiet, but the awkward stillness stretched on for a few moments, until Laila, over the whipping winds, called out, "Why are we going to Ever Grande, anyways?"

I twisted my arm awkwardly to poke Laila, who was sitting behind me; she jumped a bit and I half-expected her to tumble into the water. "Don't you know?" I snorted. Little things, minor details, seemed like the kind of thing that would evade a person like Laila, but I didn't know that she would forget something as major as our purpose for coming.

"Sorry," Laila muttered. I could feel her twist her head to look away, towards the rough ocean, in the brush of her wet head against my shirt. Her words--word, really-- was directed at both me and the Gym Leaders.

Wallace spoke up for the first time since before we'd left from Lilycove. His voice was deep and somewhat startling, brooding almost. "We need to talk to the Elite Four," he said finally. "To ask them for backup. There's no way that Liza and Tate could have taken down Groudon and Kyogre, not on their own. We need reinforcement."

Laila's shaky, but still optimistic, voice answered. "They could have," she insisted.

Her bright, fake optimism bothered me, and I poked her again. "Then why hasn't the rain stopped?" I hissed. I sounded more angry than I really felt, I was more afraid than I was mad. I could practically see Laila wrinkling her nose at me.

"Fine then," she sniffed. Deliberately raising her voice, she added, "Should we do something...appeal somehow...when we get to Ever Grande?" she called curiously.

Wallace looked grim. "You'll tell Steven your story," he said. "You said you saw one of those Aqua grunts, right?"

Laila blinked, and I felt suprised, even, to remember the Aqua grunt that had crushed Laila's Chimecho, which had been healed the day before at Lilycove's Pokemon Center. The events that had passed between right now and then had been so impossible, so huge, that the grunt was a distant memory. Laila was silent after a short ammount of time, enough to make the silence awkward, so I said, "Yes, we saw the grunt. You want us to tell them the story?" I shivered again, wondering how many times in a day it was possible to shiver out of fear--the idea of speaking to the Elite Four, even in such a big crisis, was unnerving.

"Alright, then," Laila said. Her voice was its usual--bright, happy, perky--but it sounded really forced, like she was trying to keep her tone light. Lowering her voice so that even I, sitting a few inches in front of her, could barely hear her, she added, "Speak? To the Elite Four? Us?" Her voice cracked and wobbled with fear, but I knew somehow that the fear wasn't related to speaking to the five strongest trainers in Hoenn. Things like that wouldn't scare Laila, but I knew what did. I imagined Aria again, finding it hard to bring Julianne into that image, but shivered nonetheless. The faces I saw were fearful, pained, instead of victorious. Her fear stung me in a strange way, somehow, I didn't want her to feel afraid.

I didn't expect Wallace or Winona to answer her, and neither did. Laila's sneakers trailed in the choppy ocean water, and I realized how disheviled and tired we would appear to the Elite Four--more brine-drenched than a pickle, tired, sleepless, and hungry. Laila yawned, leaning her head against my shoulder again. I thought about shrugging her off, but it wasn't heartfelt annoyance. I relaxed my shoulders, and Laila's head rolled limply as if she were too tired to hold it up. "I'm exhausted, Riley," she said. "Starving, too. How long've we been out at sea?"

Her voice was too soft and casual for the question to be aimed at Wallace or Winona, and I wished instantly that I had some kind of intelligent answer. "I have no clue," I admitted. It had felt like years since we'd last seen shore; I was almost used to the rythmic bobbing of Sealio's fins and tail now, though it was hard to judge distance and time when the weather had been constant for as long as we had been on land, and it was hard to see four feet on any given side of us. "A little before you woke up, though, Winona told me that Ever Grande is an hour or so away."

Laila sighed. "Why isn't the shore in view, then?" And then we were quiet for a long time.

I craned my neck around, careful not to dislodge her head and put her at risk of falling off, and noticed that her eyes were closed, and her face was relaxed. I doubted she was asleep--not yet--but seeing her face, peaceful even now, made me tired. I leaned my head against hers, and closed my eyes for a little.

Something was nudging me, pretty hard, in the ribs. "Riley, Riley. God, Riley." A warm voice, bright with amusement, sounded from somewhere over me.

I opened my eyes, and slowly my senses started returning to me. The first thing that I felt was the cold water--lapping all around me, covering my body and half of my face, before receding back into the ocean. The next thing I felt was the numbing, ceaseless rain--and then Laila's hand, shaking my shoulder. Her blue eyes seemed slightly less worried than I'd expected them to be, they were sort of playful.

"Riley. Finally," Laila snickered, extending her hand to help me to my feet. I pushed myself up on my own, rolling my eyes and then surveying my surroundings. We were on a wet beach, with a few trees dotting the edges. I could see two dark figures in the shadows of those trees--Wallace and Winona, I assumed. What are we doing here?

As if she could read my thoughts, Laila burst in, "We were bound to reach Ever Grande at some point, you know."

I yawned, sleepiness still impairing my mind. "Oh, yeah, right. Ever Grande. I almost forgot about that." Laila let out a one-note burst of laughter, and I added, "No, seriously. Really."

"Well, we landed maybe three hours ago," Laila reported, standing up and heading away from the water. She sat down at the edge of the beach, spreading out on the rain-packed sand, sprawled out like a big asterisk. I sat down next to her, listening to her talk. "I personally want to get back to the others, you know, in Sootopolis, but no, Winona wanted to let you sleep."

That was strikingly considerate for someone who hadn't spoke a friendly word to either of us since I'd met her. "That was nice," I said grudgingly.

Laila giggled. "Yes, it was," she agreed.

I sighed. Something about Laila's kindhearted attitude made me want to open up to her, even when we were almost out of time. Something about her warmth made me feel like the world could wait for a few more minutes. "I don't see why we're here," I confessed suddenly, feeling like a big deadweight was lifted off my chest. "I wish I was back, with Aria...they don't even want us here." I motioned towards the two figures in the shadows of the trees.

Laila closed her eyes, twisting a thoroughly drenched lock of golden hair around her finger. "Winona's just stressed, you know," she said. She sounded strangely understanding, and there was a certain conviction in her voice. "I like her, really. Fortree owes something to her." She paused, but not long enough for me to interject something. "Her city burned down, you know. And now this." She stood up, offering her hand to me again. "Speaking of this, we really should get back to them. I understand why she's stressed...but she's still pissed off at you, ya know. Wants to get a move on."

I didn't want to get a move on. I looked up at the sky, tried to scare myself, remind myself, you're out of time...you've hardly got four hours...but I couldn't bring myself to move. "Wallace seems okay," I said. Our silence had been long enough to make the comment seem random and awkward. Heat rose up into my face, feeling so intensely warm that I half-expected the surrounding rain to turn into steam.

Laila smiled, poking me in the arm. "You're the one who wanted to "get a move on", Riley. The one who wants to get back to Aria as soon as you can."

Laila is funny sometimes, but she still can be annoying. "That was Winona, you said," I protested weakly, but I stood up, already glancing towards where the two Gym Leaders sat.

Playfully, Laila tipped her head, grabbing my elbow and dragging us across the beach. "I want to get back to Julianne, too," she snapped back at me. Her voice was lighter and more cheerful, and though it seemed apocalyptic, being here, her prescence made the whole thing feel a little safer, like an apocalypse movie I was watching with a friend, instead of real life. "You're right, though, we need to get a move on." She glanced up at the sky, still rolling with thunderclouds and dumping a seemingly endless supply of rain, and I could amost see the warmth inside of her chill into fear.

When we reached Wallace and Winona, they got up and began to walk without a word. The looming building where the Elite Four and Steven took challengers was a dark shape in the distance, royal looking even from here, surounded by rain. Lightning flashed somewhere in the distance, illuminated Laila's golden hair into its own brand of electricity. I shivered from the inside out. Oh, geez, I thought, we're here...


End file.
